Frankie Dettori notched an emotional winner on his final day as a jockey in Rio de Janeiro Feb. 1—and then made a great day even better by claiming the first leg of Brazil's Triple Crown.
Dettori was positioned towards the back of the pack aboard his first mount, Speak Alpha, but switched out into the clear in the home straight and came with a potent late run to win easily. The jockey stood up in his irons and celebrated crossing the line.
More of the same followed after the floodlights were turned on at Gavea, where Dettori then steered Bet You Can to land the Grande Premio Estado do Rio De Janeiro (G1T).
"I can rest now, whatever else happens today." said Dettori after his opening win. "I couldn't have asked for a better way to finish. From the minute I got on the horse, it has been phenomenal. It's a great place to finish, trust me. I'm very happy."
The 55-year-old started out in his native Italy 40 years ago, and later Sunday evening he is expected to bow out of the saddle after an epic career featuring three championship titles and 287 group 1 victories. He also memorably won all seven races at Ascot in September 1996. In his final race, aboard Nidavellir, Dettori finished third.
As well as making a name for himself in the saddle, Dettori embraced the celebrity lifestyle and endeared racing to a wider audience, appearing on reality television shows like Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
He has also experienced controversy, as he was banned for six months in 2012 after testing positive for cocaine, while last March he said he was "saddened and embarrassed" after filing for bankruptcy and being unable to pay £765,000 in tax debt.
