Frankie Dettori shrugs off bankruptcy to eye Royal Ascot return aged 54

Telegraph

17-06-2025

Frankie Dettori hinted at a shock Royal Ascot return as he made his most high-profile public appearance in the UK since filing for bankruptcy.
The record-breaking Flat jockey, who has ridden more than 3,500 career winners, was in good spirits despite long-running battles with HM Revenue and Customs.
Having filed for bankruptcy in March amid a tax avoidance dispute, Dettori admitted he was now pining after a return to the venue where he achieved immortality in racing.
Dettori famously rode a ' Magnificent Seven ' of all winners on the card at Ascot in September 1996 at odds of more than 25,000-1. In 2023, he abandoned plans to retire, announcing he would continue his career in the United States.
Now, speaking to ITV Racing as he watched the opening day's action, he admitted a return to UK racing could be a possibility. 'I still have the little devil in my ear saying 'one more time',' he said.
Dettori filed for bankruptcy three months after losing a court bid to retain anonymity in a battle with HMRC. The 54-year-old had already left the UK riding ranks in 2023 to begin a new life in America.
He told ITV Racing: 'I'm good, I flew here on Sunday after riding in Kentucky, it's my daughter's birthday, you know I love Royal Ascot.... When I was driving here I was thinking how I missed it so much.
'Never say never. At the moment I didn't think it was appropriate to do it but who knows in the future. It's nice to be here and it's amazing racing through the week.
'I've got a different vibe today as I'm usually stressed out thinking about the racing but I'm seeing it from the other side of the fence.'
In December, papers were republished by the upper tribunal of the Royal Courts of Justice naming Dettori after his attempts to secure anonymity in his battle with HMRC were thrown out.
The alleged tax avoidance scheme was originally devised by Paul Baxendale-Walker, who is described by Tax Policy Associates as 'probably the UK's most notorious tax avoidance scheme promoter'.
Dettori joined a string of high-profile names to face huge backdated bills over investments in companies that HMRC accuses of being deliberately set up for sheltering clients from tax. The Italian has generated almost £160 million in career earnings and is placed in the top 50 highest-earning jockeys in the world.