Frankie Dettori Net Worth: How Much Money Has The Popular Jockey Earned?

With the popular jockey still riding, the Frankie Dettori net worth is still a hot topic amongst horse racing fans around the world – especially as the pocket Italian is now riding at the top of his game in America – based in California. 

Frankie Dettori Net Worth Set To Increase After Cancelling Retirement Plans

53 year-old Frankie Dettori was due to retire at the end of 2023, having announced this year would be his last in the saddle.

However, after a swansong campaign that saw him land many top horse races, he changed his mind.

These wins included the Ascot Gold Cup and 2000 Guineas, which led to Dettori performing a famous retirement U-turn – deciding to carry on his career.

This meant the Frankie Dettori net worth will continue rise over the coming years, with the rider basing himself in California in America as he looks to win some of their lucrative top races. Making it no secret that a first win in the Kentucky Derby is high up on his wish list.

Despite this US switch, many horse racing fans also felt Frankie Dettori would still be seen flying back to the UK and Europe to ride in some of the bigger races. However, during 2024 this has so far yet to happen.

Dettori First Started Earning Money As A Jockey In 1987

Becoming a jockey was in the Dettori blood as Frankie was the son of Italian champion rider Gianfranco Dettori and it was at the age of 14 that he fled his homeland to head to Newmarket in the UK.

Working first as a stable lad, he went onto become apprentice and then stable jockey at the Luca Cumani stable, where he won the champion apprentice title in 1989. This came two years after riding his first UK winner at Goodwood as a 16 year-old.

Frankie Dettori went onto become British champion jockey three times (1994, 1995 and 2004). Plus, has ridden over 280 Group One winners around the world and most-famously joined the new Godolphin ‘boys in blue’ operation in 1994 as their main rider.

He went onto ride for the Sheikh Mohammed-led Godolphin team for 18 years, riding many big stars for them which included Dubai Millennium, Swain, Daylami, and Classic Cliche.

The Frankie Dettori Net Worth Is Reported To Be Between £15m and £18m

So, with over 35 years of race riding and winning most of the main top races around the globe, it’s no shock to see the Frankie Dettori net worth standing between £15m-£18m (and rising).

His riding days to date has seen Frankie win over £153 million for the owners of the horses he’s ridden.

Like when he won the 2022 running of the Dubai World Cup (watch below) on Country Grammer and scooped £5.3m.

Despite his monster haul of winnings, Frankie Dettori’s net worth and horse winnings are still dwarfed by some other leading riders around the world.

Like Yutaka Take, who has over 4,000 career wins, out on his own with a reported £573m won.

Frankie was the highest placed UK-based jockey in the ‘top 50’ list – but according to OLBG he still only came in at 37th place.

Highest 5 Jockeys Race Winnings

Frankie Dettori Rode 81 Royal Ascot Winners (and counting)

2023 was meant to be Frankie Dettori’s last season riding at Royal Ascot and despite deciding to carry on riding he didn’t return to the big meeting in 2024.

He started the 2023 Royal Ascot fixture with 77 overall winners, but fired in another four which means his total career tally at one of the biggest meetings on the planet stands at 81.

Dettori’s 2023 Royal Ascot winners were the Wathnan Racing-owned Courage Mon Ami, who landed the Gold Cup and Gregory. Plus, he also steered home Porta Fortuna and Coppice.

The Ascot Gold Cup win in 2023 on Courage Mon Ami was his nineth in the race – which is second only to Lester Piggott’s haul of 11 wins.

With the Italian rider still in action, there is still a chance we’ll see him at another future Royal Ascot, which would further bolster the Frankie Dettori net worth figures.

WATCH: Frankie Dettori Winning The 2023 Ascot Gold Cup on Courage Mon Ami

2023 Also Saw Frankie Dettori Win The 2000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks

Maybe it was the top 2023 season that Frankie Dettori had, which was meant to be his last, was the reason he had second thoughts about retiring.

In addition to the Ascot Gold Cup, Dettori also landed the 2023 2,000 Guineas on Chaldean for trainer Andrew Balding (watch below), plus the 2023 Epsom Oaks for his long-term supporter John Gosden..

Dettori also won the 2023 Ebor Handicap for trainer Willie Mullins. This came a year after the Italian has guided home Trawlerman for his old employees Godolphin.

WATCH: Frankie Dettori Winning The 2023 2,000 Guineas On Chaldean

Between 2019 and 2023 Dettori-Ridden Horses Won Over £16m In Total Prize Money

Horse racing jockeys don’t win all of the advertised prize money in a race – unless, of course, they also own the horse.

You can find out more about how much UK jockeys earn and the breakdown here.

But, in short, a jockey will get a set riding fee (win, lose or draw) and also a percentage of any prize money if they manage to win or place in the race.

A rider on the flat in the UK in 2024 will currently get £162.79 for each ride. They also get 8.5% of any winnings and 2.61% of the place money.

Therefore, having been riding for almost 40 years, you can quickly see how (and why) the Frankie Dettori net worth stands at between £15m and £18m.

Frankie Dettori’s Net Worth Topped Up Outside Horse Racing

With Frankie Dettori being a big personality inside and outside horse racing, it also wasn’t long before he was topping up his net worth with other earnings.

These included launching his own brand of Italian pizzas to the supermarkets and also getting into bed with top chef Marco Pierre White to open a restaurant in London called ‘Frankie’s Italian Bar and Grill’.

Dettori also appeared in Celebrity Big Brother in 2013 and was a team captain on the long-running BBC quiz ‘A Question Of Sport’ in 2003.

The Frankie Dettori Net Worth Was Bolstered Again In 2023 With I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here Appearance

Frankie Dettori was also signed up by ITV to appear on their hit reality show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here.

Saying that with his retirement U-turn and heading off to the US soon after the show, it would be good to lose a few pounds.

The Dettori I’m A Celebrity fee is unknown, but it’s not uncommon for the show to offer well over £100k to get big names – which would, again, added to the Frankie Dettori net worth.

Frankie was, however, voted out first that year from the show – making it easy money. With TV personality Sam Thompson winning, boxer Tony Bellew coming second and politician Nigel Farage ending up third.

Frankie Dettori Wants To Win The Kentucky Derby

One of the big factors for Frankie Dettori heading to America to ride was he’s made it no secret of the fact he wants to win the Kentucky Derby. Their biggest horse race, which is billed as ‘The Run For The Roses’.

Dettori managed to bag a ride in the 2024 race on a horse called Society Man. However, unfortunately the pair trailed in 16th of the 20 runners.

The 2024 Kentucky Derby was won by Mystik Dan (watch below).

Frankie is expected to be back in the race in 2025 as he looks to break his duck in the race. But it will be unknown what horse he’ll ride until nearer the race date on Saturday 3rd May.

Frankie also continues to pick up rides in the US when the European trainers send horses to America. Dettori recently rode three horses for Aidan O’Brien at Kentucky Downs.

While he also landed the 2024 Nashville Derby for the Andrew Balding team on Bellum Justum (watch below).

The Bookies Lost Over £30m In 1996 When Dettori Rode ALL 7 Winners at Ascot

Cast your mind back to September 28th, 1997 and despite Frankie already being a household name with horse racing fans. He became a global superstar overnight after winning ALL seven races on the Ascot Saturday card.

The unbelievable run of winners boosted Dettori’s profile ten-fold with the seven horses having cumulative odds of 25,051/1.

It wasn’t uncommon back them for horse racing punters on a Saturday to put all Dettori’s rides in accumulator bets. With one lucky Frankie fan said to have won £500k on the Frankie Ascot ‘Magnificent Seven’.

As a result it was reported the some of the best horse racing betting sites in the UK that day lost in the region of £30m

While with the bookies running scared after the first six Frankie mounts had won.

The last horse, which was called Fujiyama Crest, was shortened in from double-figure prices into the 2/1 favourite as the layers tried to limit their liabilities. (watch below).

Frankie Dettori Went On Record Saying……….

“I managed to get him to the front and decided to kick early and get them all stretched out. They were all queuing up to get to me and I thought someone would come out of the pack and beat me.

“We got past the furlong marker and I was tired, Fujiyama Crest’s head is on the floor and we’re just waiting for the line. I thought: ‘He’s going to pass me, he’s going to pass me, but he didn’t’. Then it was chaos.”

“The next morning I couldn’t wait to get the papers,” he added. “I used to get them delivered on a Sunday. So I opened the door in my t-shirt and underpants and it was like a scene from Notting Hill, all the paparazzi taking pictures and TV cameras. I realised then the impact this had had on the world.

“Myself and Peter Burrel my manager, we took advantage of it the opportunity to promote myself and racing. I did everything. It changed my life and it changed my sport.”

Frankie Dettori went on to purchase Fujiyama Crest when the horse retired from racing and kept him at this Newmarket home.

Dettori Has Won EVERY UK Group One – Except The July Cup

Another top accolade Frankie Dettori has is that he’s won EVERY UK Group One race except the Newmarket July Cup.

Enable Was One Frankie Dettori’s Best-Loved Horses

During his riding days, Frankie Dettori has ridden many equine superstars. Dubai Millennium, Golden Horn, Lammtarra, Swain and Fantastic Light are just some.

However, in more recent years the John Gosden-trained Enable was another horse Dettori showed a lot of affection for.

Dettori and the wonder mare Enable teamed up for 14 wins during her 19-race career.

Those victories were spearheaded by three King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes wins (2017, 2019 & 2020). Plus, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe twice (2017 and 2018) and also the Epsom Oaks in 2017.

During her racing career Enable won £10,724,320 in prize money – winning 15 of her 19 races. With a percentage of this going to the rider, this was another help towards the Frankie Dettori net worth total.

Frankie Dettori’s Key Race Wins

Frankie Dettori has guided home over 3,000 winners during his career.

These include all of the five English Classics and he’s also won the Italian Derby on three occasion.

• 1,000 Guineas (4) – Cape Verdi, Kazzia, Blue Bunting, Mother Earth
• 2000 Guineas (4) – Mark Of Esteem, Island Sands, Galileo Gold, Chaldean
• Epsom Derby (2) – Authorized, Golden Horn
• Epsom Oaks (7) – Balanchine, Moonshell, Kazzia, Enable, Anapurna, Snowfall, Soul Sister
• St Leger (6) – Classic Cliche, Shantou, Scorpion, Sixties Icon, Conduit, Locician
• Ascot Gold Cup (9) – Drum Taps (2), Kayf Tara, Papineau, Colour Vision, Stradivarius (3), Courage Mon Ami
• King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (7) – Lammtarra, Swain, Daylami, Doyen, Enable (3)
• Goodwood Cup (5) – Kayf Tara, Schiaparelli, Opinion Poll, Stradivarius (2).
• Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe (6) – Lammtarra, Sakhee (2001), Marienbard (2002), Golden Horn (2015), Enable (2017 & 2018)
• Hong Kong Cup (3) – Fantastic Light, Falbrav, Ramonti
• Irish Derby (1) – Balanchine
• Italian Derby (3) – Mukhalif, Mastery, King’s Caper
• Dubai World Cup (4) – Dubai Millennium, Moon Ballad, Electrocutionist, Country Grammer
• Japan Cup (3) – Singspiel, Falbrav, Alkaased