LEGENDARY jockey Frankie Dettori admitted he doesn’t miss riding after packing it in six months ago.
The Italian, 55, pointed towards the next step in his career, hinting that he’d like to “dabble” in punditry, but it’s early days.
Frankie reflected on the intense high levels he had to maintain throughout his highly-decorated career as a jockey, and doesn’t miss it.
Speaking to Stake, he said: “I don’t miss it a bit. I’ve been racing a lot, and I’ve been to all the big races, I went to Saratoga, I went to Deauville, I went to York; I’m thinking to myself, ‘wow, you have to be so mentally focused, so physically fit because it is so demanding.‘
“And I don’t feel that I can reach those levels again. So, it makes it easier for me to say that I don’t miss it because of that reason.
“When I look at the guys I think, my God, how did I do that for 39 years? I’m already too far behind. So, I don’t miss it for that reason, because I really enjoy watching it.
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“People don’t understand how, at the levels I was doing it and the top level in every sport, you just have to be so on point in every aspect.
“And I felt, of course, towards the end I already felt that I was losing a little bit, but now that I really stopped and I watched, I realise there’s such a gap between being there and where I am now.”
After retiring in February, Frankie, who won a ridiculous 288 Group 1s during his illustrious 40-year career in the saddle, looks set to take up another career venture.
He said: “Listen, of course being a pundit in my sport is the obvious next step. I’ve only been retired for six months now, so I’m still trying to find my feet, so on and so forth.
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“And so it’s something that I would like to dabble in, in the future.”
Frankie recently pulled out of a highly anticipated racing return – he was supposed to ride in the Leger Legends race at Doncaster last Friday.
Following his car crash two months ago, in which he flipped a borrowed Smart car, he deemed himself not fit enough.
Ex-Irish jockey Niall Madden came out on top in Friday afternoon’s 1 miler as he won aboard Brian Ellison‘s Tolstoy.
Other major names involved in the race included Joe Fanning, Tom Scudamore, Adam Kirby and Gay Kelleway.
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Tuesday 15 September
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Tuesday 15 September
Genoa
1 – 0
COI
Südtirol
GC Zürich
1 – 1
Live HT
Sion
Rayo
2 – 0
Live 45+4′
Espanyol
Alavés
19:00
Live Teams
Valencia
York
19:00
Live Teams
Newcastle
Chesterfield
19:00
Live Teams
Man City
Wycombe
19:00
Live Teams
Chelsea
Tuesday 15 September
Genoa
1 – 0
COI
Südtirol
Bahia
2 – 1
SEA
Remo
Monday 14 September
Braga
1 – 0
PRL
Estoril
Moreirense
3 – 1
PRL
Marítimo
Villarreal
1 – 2
PRD
Betis
Leeds
4 – 1
EPL
Newcastle
Standings currently unavailable.