Racing: The day Dettori's Magnificent Seven left the bookies in tears | The Independent More Sports Racing: The day Dettori's Magnificent Seven left the bookies in tears It is 10 years since Ascot witnessed the mug punter's revenge as Frankie Dettori rode all seven winners. Chris McGrath recounts the joy and the despair of a unique event Friday 22 September 2006 23:00 BST Click to follow The Independent Online However briefly he seduced outsiders into his sport, on that heady day at Ascot 10 years ago, Frankie Dettori gave them a lasting lesson in its least ephemeral qualities. Imagine some other unfathomable landmark: Tiger Woods, say, shooting 18 consecutive birdies. Anyone who witnessed such a feat would marvel with a sense of communal privilege. When Dettori won all seven races on one of the most competitive cards of the year, however, it was the most intense experience not only in his own life, but many others, too. Never mind the pyramid of professional stories beneath each of those seven pinnacles - the years of patience and preparation vindicated by each horse that day.

For many others to whom the day became unforgettable, 28 September, 1996 dawned with no more promise or interest than a thousand other Saturdays. Before dusk, Dettori would spin them faster and faster round his carousel, seemingly out of control, pivoting wildly round the molten fulcrum of his own instincts. Just as Dettori, through the afternoon, gradually harnessed himself to some intuitive momentum, beyond his own skill and ambition - everyone agrees he would never have won the seventh race had it been the first - so those with fortunes at stake became helpless, stricken, sick to their stomachs. The ordinary rules of engagement between bookmaker and punter crumbled into anarchy. And, when Dettori deliriously crossed the line a seventh time, with Pat Eddery in blazing, resentful pursuit, he completed an incalculable rout. It was the Mug Punter's revenge. At 25, this effusive Italian was the natural focus of any impulsive bet. And none could be more frivolous than the blind combination of all seven of his mounts on a day such as this.

True, Gordon Richards once went through a six-race card at Chepstow, part of a spree of 12 consecutive winners over three days. But this meeting at Ascot, as will be seen again today, was the sort where any jockey would settle for one winner. As Dettori himself said that morning: "I could have an each-way chance in the first, and I may win the third." Mary Bolton was immune to such pragmatism. She and her husband, John, had come up to London from Somerset to celebrate their wedding anniversary. She was to spend the day shopping, while he went to Ascot. To give his wife an interest, John made her a present of a bet at Ladbrokes in Dover Street, Mayfair. She elected a permutation of Frankie's mounts, including a £5 each-way accumulator. "It was because of his character," Mary explained later. "All his smiling and silly nonsense when he wins." Hers was just one of dozens of similar stories, up and down the nation.

Many, inevitably, were poignantly mirrored by the disabled man who combined the first six, before changing his mind and ripping up his betting slip; or by the cleaner who had 50p on each of the seven. She collected £19. Had she added a 50p accumulator, she would have won £12,047.50 at starting prices, and around £120,000 if taking the morning odds. In turn, the difference between those two payouts would become a gripping sub-plot. Gradually, the High Street betting shop chains realised that they were horribly exposed. After Decorated Hero won the fourth, their liability managers began to sweat. After Fatefully won the next, off-duty bosses started to call in. In the starting price system, the tail wags the dog. Off-course bets are settled at the final odds in the racecourse betting ring. The shop chains protect their own position by "sending" bets into the ring, so forcing down the price about a particular horse. When Lochangel won the sixth, a £1 accumulator was worth £8,365.50.

That sum would now run on to Fujiyama Crest, the animal happily innocent of his role in the drama developing around the final race. He had been available at 12-1 in the morning. Those who had lacked the prescience to take those odds would have their bets settled at starting price. For the off-course market, it was imperative to crush the odds against Fujiyama Crest. And then something unaccountable happened. The mechanics of the system, a daily reflex of market forces, suddenly broke down. Bookmakers in the ring realised that they could lay 2-1 against a horse whose chance in reality was closer to 12-1. And flesh and blood took over. Instead of meekly cutting the odds lower still, they laid Fujiyama Crest for every penny they had, or thought they might have, if they sold their houses, cars and dependents. That stand immeasurably raised the stakes on Fujiyama Crest. Barry Dennis, the egregious ring bookmaker, laid the horse to lose £23,000. During the previous 30 years, his biggest loss in one day had been £5,000.

Even watching the race, he remained convinced he had done the right thing. As Dettori made the running, he waited for the inevitable challenges. He told Graham Sharpe, author of The Magnificent Seven, what was going through his mind: "Don't panic, something is coming on the outside - this is going to beat him. I knew he couldn't ride all seven, it isn't possible. Half a furlong out - I do not know the challenger but he simply must get up. Twenty yards to go. Reality - it is not going to get up. Frankie's done it. I stood on my stool, staring, not hearing a thing, in a trance." Dennis drove home in silence, his staff too frightened to speak. When he got home, his wife greeted him cheerily. "Hello darling," she said. "Good day?" Dennis told her Dettori had ridden all seven winners. " Fantastic!" she said. "What a great achievement." Dennis collapsed into a chair, sobbing. And he had got away lightly, compared with some. Gary Wiltshire went on to Milton Keynes greyhounds facing liabilities of £800,000. "The first bet I took was a pound," he said.

"It was going to be a long way back." Ladbrokes had inoculated themselves against such unpredictable dramas with a maximum payout of £500,000. The Boltons were due £900,000, but were not too despondent, having initially persuaded themselves that they had won only £300,000. Fred Done flashed a message on to his betting shop screens: "Reward, dead or alive: good-looking Italian kid, last seen in Ascot area." At the precise moment when Fujiyama Crest passed the post, the clock stopped in a north London betting shop. The proprietor never changed it. He does not need anniversaries to remind him what happened that day. The Magnificent Seven Where are they now? By Sue Montgomery * WALL STREET Odds 2-1 A three-year-old when winning the Cumberland Lodge Stakes, he is the only one of the seven not still alive. He raced once more, when eighth in the Breeders' Cup Turf, but died after a suffering a bout of colic in Dubai that winter.

* DIFFIDENT Odds 12-1 The Diadem Stakes was the best of Diffident's seven wins and at the age of 14, the son of Nureyev is now a star stallion in India. He stands at the Poonawalla Stud, at Pune, where he has sired local Guineas and Oaks winners. * MARK OF ESTEEM Odds 100-30 Mark Of Esteem's defeat of Bosra Sham in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes made him the best in Europe that year. Now 13, the Darshaan horse has made an excellent fist of his second career at Darley Stud, sire of this year's Derby winner Sir Percy and top sprinter Reverence. * DECORATED HERO Odds 7-1 Decorated Hero carried top weight of 9st 13lb in the Tote Festival Handicap. The Warning gelding, now 14, raced for two more seasons - winning 14 of his 33 races - before finding a home at the British Racing School in Newmarket, where he helps teach aspiring Dettoris.

* FATEFULLY Odds 7-4 After taking the Rosemary Stakes, Fatefully won once more and is now a broodmare for Gainsborough Stud. She has produced six foals, including Nassau Stakes winner Favourable Terms. Now 13, she is pregnant to Selkirk. * LOCHANGEL Odds 5-4 Lochangel scored her maiden two-year-old victory in the Blue Seal Stakes and went on to win the Nunthorpe Stakes at four. The daughter of Night Shift has not been as good as a producer for Littleton Stud, with one minor winner. She is due to Danehill Dancer. * FUJIYAMA CREST Odds 2-1 Fujiyama Crest had a chequered career after winning the Gordon Carter Handicap, descending to claiming company after several changes of stable. The 14-year-old gelding, whose eight wins included one over hurdles, is now happily retired as the Dettori family pet.

'9-4 Fujiyama and 9-4 me for the Job Centre' Gary Wiltshire: The Bookie A hulk of a man, this on-course bookmaker faced several lean years after taking a dauntless stand against a flood of money from betting shop chains for Dettori's seventh mount, Fujiyama Crest. Wiltshire stood next to his pitch on the rails and bellowed: "9-4 Fujiyama! And 9-4 me for the Job Centre!" Later, he explained: "The odds were miles wrong. I was laying 2-1 about a horse I made a 10-1 shot." He faced ruin, owing over £800,000. He sold his house and cars and scraped money together selling Christmas paper in Oxford Street. After that he " worked every hour God made", betting at six race meetings and six dog tracks every week, and "settled every bet". He vows he would do the same again. Darren Yates: The Punter His joinery business in Morecombe, Lancashire, was in trouble, and his wife had insisted that he end his compulsive habit of backing Dettori.

Yates had reluctantly agreed, but secretly staked £67.58 in combining all seven of Dettori's mounts. Yates spent much of the afternoon playing centre-half for his local football team. After a 4-0 hiding, he popped into the pub and discovered that Dettori had won the first four races. By the end of the afternoon, he had won £550,000. In a good week Yates earned £300, and had just been refused a building society loan. He had feared that he would have to lay off his six staff. He has since doubled the size of his business and moved house. Magnificent Seven: How Frankie Dettori Achieved the Impossible by Graham Sharpe published by Aurum at £7.99. ISBN 978 1 84513 162 3 Richard Hughes 'over the moon' to equal Frankie Dettori record with seven victories at Windsor - Telegraph Horse Racing Richard Hughes 'over the moon' to equal Frankie Dettori record with seven victories at Windsor A year ago on Monday, Richard Hughes threatened to quit the saddle after being handed a 15-day ban for breaking controversial new whip rules.

Seven up: Richard Hughes celebrates his achievement at Windsor Photo: GAVIN JAMES By HOTSPUR (JA McGrath) 9:22AM BST 16 Oct 2012 He stepped down in protest and refused to ride at the inaugural Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot. But, 12 months on it was a very different story. Remarkably, Hughes, 39, who is so far ahead in the jockeys’ title race that he could stop now and still be crowned champion, rode seven winners on an eight-race card at Windsor in the most sustained display of skill and finesse on one afternoon since Frankie Dettori won all seven races at Ascot in Sept 1996. While a statue of Dettori was erected at Ascot to commemorate the Italian’s 'Magnificent Seven’, it remains to be seen what Windsor come up with, though it is unlikely to be financed by bookmakers, who were claiming last night that Hughes had cost them many millions on what had appeared, in prospect, a relatively harmless, mundane Monday. The accumulative odds of his seven winners were 10,168-1.

In 1996, Dettori’s 25,095-1 Ascot accumulator was reported to have ruined some bookmakers. “I’m over the moon,” Hughes said. “Windsor is my lucky track, and this is a great day. I wouldn’t have any of this if not for Richard Hannon,” he added in gratitude to his father-in-law, the trainer, who supplied him with three of his winners on Monday, namely Pivotal Movement, who carried the colours of Sir Alex Ferguson, East Texas Red, and the determined Duke Of Clarence. Hughes’s other winners were the Amanda Perrett-trained Embankment in the colours of Khalid Abdulla, the Jeremy Gask-trained Magic Secret, Dean Ivory’s Links Drive Lady, and the William Haggas-trained Mama Quilla in the finale. Mama Quilla had been listed as one of Ryan Moore’s rides, but the former champion gave up the mount to Hughes, who has the same agent, Tony Hind. “Ryan’s one of my greatest friends,” Hughes said.

Related Articles Dettori's magnificent day - CNN.com Dettori's magnificent day Frankie Dettori made history in 1996 by riding seven winners in seven races Feat made Italian jockey famous, punters cleaned up, bookmakers lost out Dettori bought final horse, Fujiyama Crest, now retired and Dettori family pet Final post has pride of place in Frankie's garden near home in Newmarket By Hilary Whiteman CNN LONDON, England (CNN) -- Few racing fans will forget the day Frankie Dettori stormed into the history books as the first man to take seven winners past the post on a seven-race card. Frankie Dettori performs his signature "flying dismount" after winning all seven races at Ascot, September 28, 1996. more photos » It happened in the summer of 1996 at Royal Ascot, the British racecourse founded in 1711 by Queen Anne who considered it the ideal place for "horses to gallop at full stretch." And gallop he did; seizing seven wins from seven races.

The win sent a tremor of excitement through the racing industry, made a hero of the small man from Sardinia and stripped ashen-faced bookmakers of millions. "I think that the bookmakers lost in the region of £50 million, $100 million, in today's money, so history was made," Frankie Dettori recalls. "We've been racing thoroughbreds for 300 years and I'm the first one to get there, and good luck to the guy who follows me." Few think that anyone will. The odds on him winning the straight set were 25,095 to one. Millions watched his victory in the stands and on television; the BBC's Grandstand cut into its traditional Saturday afternoon sports coverage to show the pictures live from Ascot. Ray Cochrane, Dettori's friend and manager, had the rare pleasure of watching the drama unfold in front of him, literally. "I was actually riding that day. Everybody wanted to beat him on that last race," Cochrane says. Don't Miss Revealed: All the world loves a flutter "He was making the run and going flat out.

We thought; this horse can't keep going, he's got 10 stone -- top weight -- he can't keep going." But he did. "Then we start to hear this roar, from Swindly Bottom, a mile from home. You could then hear the crowd from the grandstand starting to shout -- they were just lifting him home." Among the crowd was Nick Smith, head of public relations for Ascot racecourse. "The atmosphere in the winners' enclosure was amazing. We actually had champagne for him after the sixth, and then after the seventh the whole place just erupted." hear more of Nick Smith's memories of that day » "We abused him after the race, covered him in champagne, gave him a good hiding," recalls Cochrane. "It was a great day, a great day for racing really, never mind just him." hear more from Ray Cochrane on Frankie's feat Frankie Dettori's historic win was splashed across the papers.

His multiple victories became known as the "Magnificent 7." Headlines declared Frankie "untouchable" and a "turf act to follow." "It took races off the sports pages and onto the front pages," says Robin Oakley, CNN's European Political Editor and avid racing fan. "Frankie was already a well known jockey before the Magnificent 7, but it did turn him into a household name," he says. Frankie Dettori is under no illusions as to who's to credit for his win and the fame that's followed. The horse who took him first past the post for the seventh time that day is now long retired and spends his days grazing in the grounds of Dettori's home in the traditional British racing town of Newmarket. "This is Fujiyama Crest," Dettori says, holding a feed bucket to the nose of an aging gelding. "He was owned by a Japanese owner and then after that he went into jumping but he wasn't very good." "I bought him in private and now he's our house pet. I ride him from time to time, my wife, the kids ...

but he spends most of his life in the field with the other ponies." The famous post is not far away either. "After winning the seven races and all those big races I won at Ascot I asked if I could have it, and they said yes, so after the last race of the last meeting at Ascot I took it off the ground and I put it in the horse box and I planted it here." It now has pride of place in his garden. "I'm very proud of it," he says. "It's a bit tall but it's got a meaning to it." In 2001, Ascot erected its own monument to Frankie Dettori; a lifesize bronze statue of the jockey at the entrance to the famous racecourse. more on Frankie Dettori's statue at Ascot "Every time I pass by it just reminds me what an achievement that was," he says. Frankie Dettori Frankie Dettori Cheltenham Frankie Dettori Frankie Dettori is one of the most popular personalities in the world of flat racing .

Dettori was virtually born into a life of horse racing, and was introduced to the races by his father, Gianfranco Dettori, himself a champion jockey in Italy and 1,000 Guineas winner. Frankie Dettori began riding at the age of eight, when his father bought him a Palomino pony that he would practice on daily. At the age of 13 Dettori left school to work full time in a stable as a stable-hand before moving to England where he worked for Luca Cumani. By the age of 15 Frankie Dettori had begun working full-time as a jockey. After a year in England Dettori returned to Italy and had a good first season that saw him ride 14 winners. In 1987 Frankie Dettori won his first race in England when he won at Goodwood on Lizzy Hare. The young jockey had to wait until 1990 to claim his first major race win, when he won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Mark of Distinction.

That season Frankie Dettori chalked up 100 race wins, becoming the youngest jockey in British flat racing history to achieve this feat. One of Frankie Dettori’s most impressive achievements came at the 1996 Royal Ascot meeting , where he made history by taking 7 Royal Ascot races in a single day beggaring the bookies who had put 6720-1 odds against him achieving a seven-race run of wins. This performance earned Frankie a massive amount of publicity and catapulted the Royal Ascot legend into stardom. Despite his successes on the track, the Royal Ascot legend has endured his fair share of mishaps and controversy. In 2000 Dettori was involved in a serious air accident which saw his chartered flight crash on route to Goodwood, killing the pilot. Dettori missed the 2000 Royal Ascot as a result of his injuries. In 2001 Frankie Dettori was back in the saddle, and during this season chalked up his 100th Group 1 win with a Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe win in France.

The next season saw him take home two Classics as he won the Oaks and the 1,000 Guineas. These Group 1 victories are celebrated by the Royal Ascot legend with a special flying dismount in the winner’s paddock. Free Bets BBC Sport - Horse Racing - Frankie Dettori recalls his Ascot 'Magnificent Seven' Frankie Dettori recalls his Ascot 'Magnificent Seven' Dettori is set to ride Poet's Voice in the QEII Stakes at Ascot on Saturday Queen Elizabeth II Stakes: 1615 BST, Saturday Coverage: Racing from Ascot, BBC Two and BBC Sport website, 1350-1630 Radio: Big race commentaries on BBC 5 Live By Frank Keogh Landmarks litter the year 2010 for jockey Frankie Dettori. On 1 June, it was 10 years since the plane crash which nearly claimed his life, while 15 December brings a significant birthday when the bright-eyed Italian will be a still youthful-looking 40. This weekend provides another occasion of note - the anniversary of his record-breaking "Magnificent Seven" wins at Ascot.

The livewire rider stunned the sporting world by claiming all the winners on a competitive card at the accumulative odds of more than 25,000-1. Bookmakers were left broke, punters saluted a saviour, and his victorious flying dismounts helped create a new celebrity. That was back in 1996. So does the man christened Lanfranco, but known best simply as Frankie, still relive those races in his mind? "It's my biggest feat. I won every race on the card and to do what I did will live long in the memories," Dettori tells BBC Sport as he roams a field at his home near Newmarket. "I was the first one to ever do that 14 years ago and I'm still the first one. They even moved the news." Dettori performs a flying dismount at Ascot The scheduled Saturday evening news bulletin was delayed as BBC TV cameras captured history being made and they will be back at Ascot on Saturday for a meeting where the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes - with Dettori set to ride Poet's Voice - is again the feature race.

"On the day, the only thing I was concentrating on was the QEII," recalls the three-time champion jockey. "I thought my first ride of the day, on Wall Street, was my best chance and then I thought the big one was a match race between my mount Mark of Esteem and Bosra Sham." All these years on, he remembers each victory like it was yesterday. He has ridden more than 2,500 winners in his career, but the names from 28 September 1996 roll off his tongue like old friends. "In the second I was very lucky on Diffident as I got boxed in, then I won the QEII and I was just floating. I was so happy then as Decorated Hero took the fourth and and I won easily on Fatefully in the next. "With Lochangel I realised if I win this, it would be six in a row. "I never in a million years thought I would end up winning all seven. I beat Pat Eddery in the last - he was second to me four times that day. "At the time I couldn't comprehend what I'd done. I didn't realise the impact it would have on me, the industry and everyone until the aftermath.

It was just great." The seventh winner, Fujiyama Crest, provides a daily reminder to Dettori of the occasion that turned him from a rising racing star to a riding phenomenon. Now aged 18, the gelding, who held on by a neck to round off that memorable achievement, is now a Dettori family pet kept on land surrounding his home. "It's a bit of a party trick, whenever someone comes round, to show him off," says the genial father of five. "People give him apples or whatever and the kids love him. He's just a gentle giant." I'm pretty fit, still confident in my ability and my goal is to win the next race. Frankie Dettori In the QEII Stakes on Saturday, Dettori faces a tough challenge on Poet's Voice against top milers such as last year's winner Rip Van Winkle and the 2000 Guineas victor Makfi. "Poet's Voice is an improving three-year-old but he's probably still a bit off the top horses," concedes Dettori, who rides the bulk of his big winners for the Sheikh Mohammed-backed Godolphin team.

"I feel like we should take our chance and with some luck can get a place." There will be more confidence behind White Moonstone, the early ante-post favourite for the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket in 2011, who runs in the Fillies' Mile at Ascot. "She's won three races and has been very impressive. She is very exciting and this is a big step for her," he says. But you sense the real excitement is around Saamid, favourite for the 2,000 Guineas and a potential contender for the Epsom Derby, in which Dettori famously exorcised his hoodoo at the 15th attempt on Authorized in 2007. "He's a horse I love," enthuses Dettori about the colt nicknamed Pegasus at trainer Saeed bin Suroor's yard. "He's going through the ranks really well and seems to have a very good physique. He is set to run in the Dewhurst Stakes [at Newmarket on 16 October] next." Although there are less than two months of the flat racing season to go, it builds to a fascinating climax.

"After Ascot, there is Arc weekend, then Champions Day at Newmarket, the Racing Post Trophy, Melbourne Cup and Breeders' Cup," says Dettori. "The next six weeks is mouthwatering stuff. I'm looking forward to all of them." Dettori was lucky to escape a plane crash alive in 2000 Dettori could be aboard last year's third Cavalryman in the Arc - the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - at Longchamp on 3 October. "Nothing has been decided but I have ridden in every Arc since I was 17 and I would like to continue the trend," he says. And after that landmark December birthday is celebrated in Milan, what then for the 40-year-old jockey? Dettori once questioned whether he would ride into his 40s, but now plans to carry on for a few years more despite business interests which include a restaurant partnership with chef Marco Pierre White. "I still love what I do, it's become a way of life for me now. I'd feel naked without it," he says. "I'm pretty fit, still confident in my ability and my goal is to win the next race.

"I've been lucky enough to achieve all my goals, maybe I will try to achieve some for a second time." Quite frankly, for Frankie it is all a bonus after so nearly losing his life 10 years ago in the plane crash which killed pilot Patrick Mackey. On the 10th anniversary earlier this year Dettori rang his friend Ray Cochrane, the fellow jockey and passenger who pulled him from the burning wreckage. "We were in different locations but we both happened to be having a glass of champagne at the same time. We could have been dead and raised a glass to life," reflects Dettori. "We lost my pilot. It was a terrible ordeal, a horrible thing. It was a dark day in my life and we are lucky to be here." Bookmark with: BBC SPORT | Other Sports | Horse Racing | Epsom Derby 2002 | Frankie on Epsom mission Tuesday, 4 June, 2002, 11:24 GMT 12:24 UK Frankie on Epsom mission Will Dettori be saluting his first Derby win? Vodafone Derby, 1550 BST, 8 June Live on BBC TV and Five Live.

Further coverage on Sport Online. Frankie Dettori has shone on racing's biggest stages - but there remains one gaping hole in his brilliant record. He is missing a win in perhaps the biggest Flat race of all, the Derby at Epsom. Despite making the frame three times, the popular Italian-born jockey has yet to triumph from nine rides in the showpiece event. And this is despite boasting the ride on some leading contenders, most notably Dubai Millennium who flopped when well fancied in 1999. But Dettori believes his 2002 mount Naheef is his "best chance" yet to land the Epsom showpiece. This is the first Derby horse I am riding which is suited for the race Dettori on Naheef The Italian-born jockey has won every other British Classic twice, but he has never been successful in the blue riband. And the rider is confident the son of Marju can put a disappointing effort in the Sagitta 2000 Guineas firmly behind him when he steps up to a mile and a half on Saturday. He said: "The horse has done really well since the Guineas. He's been improving and it's very positive.

Naheef has already demonstrated a liking for the Surrey track, having won over seven furlongs there on his racecourse debut as a juvenile. "Naheef seems the perfect horse for the race - he's well-balanced and he has the speed. "I have been saying all along he is a Derby horse. We knew he didn't have the pace and speed to tackle the best milers." Frankie Dettori factfile Born: Dec 1970, Milan, Italy First winner: Turin, Nov 1986 First British winner: June 1987 Champion jockey: 1994 and 1995 Magnificent Seven: First jockey to ride all seven winners on the card at a British meeting, Sep 96 Plane crash: Survives accident in June 2000, when small plane he was travelling crashes, killing the pilot MBE: April 2001 Naheef comes from the same staying family as last year's Irish Oaks winner Lailani. And he showed himself a smart two-year-old when taking the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood before finishing second to current Derby favourite Hawk Wing in the National Stakes at The Curragh.

"This is the first Derby horse I am riding which is suited for the race," explained the rider. "Most of the horses I have ridden have not been suited by the race. This is my best chance." Victory at Epsom would be a high to round off a rollercoaster period for the outgoing Italian. Dettori's Derby blank is a curiosity, because his Epsom record as a whole is good. He won the fillies' Classic, the Oaks, two years running with victories on Ballanchine (1994) and Moonshell (1995). Leading jockeys profiled And last year he won the meeting's other Group One race, the Coronation Cup, for the fourth time, succeeding on Mutafaweq. In June 2000, Dettori - along with fellow jockey Ray Cochrane - survived a plane crash in which the pilot was killed. The light aircraft in which they were travelling crashed after take-off from Newmarket. Dettori suffered a broken ankle and facial injuries but made a quick recovery and was back in the saddle later that summer.

He suffered disappointments afterwards, including an injury which ended Dubai Millennium's career, and then the death of the star colt at stud. Dettori's Epsom Derby record 1999: 9th, Dubai Millennium 2001: 3rd, Tobougg But Dettori displayed all his charismatic flair in the 2001 season, winning the 100th Group One event of his career aboard Sakhee in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Dettori has been beloved by racing fans in Britain, where he is based at Newmarket, since arriving from Italy as a teenager. He cemented that relationship when making many small fortunes, and making history, by going through the card with all seven winners at Ascot's Festival of Racing in 1996. An Epsom Derby win would not only cheer Dettori's legion of fans, it would mean the jockey could rest a little easier. Another racing great, the late Sir Gordon Richards, rode for 33 years but had to wait 32 before finally winning the Epsom showpiece. Frankie hopes he can lay his Derby hoodoo earlier than that.

High Chaparral wins The Magnificent Seven: Seven Winners in a Day - How Frankie Dettori Achived the Impossible: Amazon.co.uk: Graham Sharpe: 9781854108005: Books By KP on 4 Feb. 2013 Verified Purchase Will it ever happen again? Probably not and certainly not with such great characters involved. This is the true story of one amazing day at Ascot racecourse, when a Jockey managed to ride ALL 7 winners on that day's card. Had they all been favourites, that would have been one thing, but these horses, had varying abilities and, as in the Final Race, the real odds were stacked against them, even if the odds the Punters got were getting distinctly shorter as the afternoon wore on. This is a great read. The chapter about the Bookmaker, who took a stance, that in the reality, the final race could not be won by an outsider, although the overwhelming betting odds had reduced it to 2/1 and was being backed to go even lower.

He stood to make Millions, as he took large bet after large bet from the Big High-street bookmakers looking to lay-off their liabilities: He went home a broken man. It is that kind of contrasting image, that makes this book, not just a chronographical description of the events, but also weaves a magical thread of reality against fate: Where both come out Winners and Losers. Frankie Dettori, M.B.E. Italian, Champion Jockey in the UK. Biography, photos & full stats Frankie Dettori...The Godolphin Jockey--8st 6lb-53.5kg Probably the most recognised man on a horse anywhere in the world since Clint Eastwood & John Wayne. Frankie can be considered the world's perfect jockey. One example of his talent was his 3 wins from 6 races on the 2003 World Cup card. First there was a gritty win on Firebreak. Then came a perfectly excuted "waiting" ride on Sulamani that gobbled up the field with every stride down the straight. Frankie could have left the waiting a little "overdone". Instead, he angled his horse to the outside and ground the leader down in time for the post.

In the �2.25m World Cup, his ride on Moon Ballad was very similar to the one he gave Dubai Millenium in 2000. Breaking alertly, he let the US seasoned campaigner, Harlan's Holiday burn the early trail whilst keeping his horse some way off the rails so as to not get into a pulling duel. Sensing that the US horse was not going at the pace he wanted he let Moon Ballad pick up a gear and then slotted into the number 1 lane when he was clear. All this within the first 700m of the race! From there to the 600m, it was a strong cruise and soon the pack behind was toiling and Frankie knew it. Into the straight, the son of Singspiel was skipping along and was starting to really extend himself. Whereas Duabi M. had seemed to tire in the last furlong, Moon Ballad was earnest and ran true to the line.....making this a more impressive display of "attack from the front" tactics.

Born as Lanfranco, on December 15th, 1970, in Italy, Frankie had a head-start as his father, Gianfranco, was a top Italian jockey who had won the 2,000 Guineas in 1975 & 1976. Although he started his apprenticeship in Newmarket in 1985 with Luca Cumani, he rode 17 winners in the winter season of 1986/87 in Italy. His first UK winner was aboard Lizzy Hare at Goodwood on June 9th, 1987 although his first ever winner was on Rif at Turin on November 16th, 1986. At the age of 19, Cumani appointed him as stable jockey to replace Ray Cochrane after Frankie had become Champion Apprentice in 1989. In 1990, he rode 100 winners in a season (the first teenager to do so since Lester Piggott) and won his first Group 1 with a masterful ride on Markofdistinction in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.

1991 saw a slight drop in winners at 94 but he did win his first Derby, the German one, on Temporal. 1992 provided his second century and he rode outsider Polytain to win the French Derby. Up to the better part of 1992, Frankie had always ridden in a low crouched style but with his feet well in the irons. Towards the end of 1992, Frankie started changing his style to the toe-in-the-iron, ankle-breaking, calf-tearing, stirrups-twisted like a rubber band, low tuck, rein-shortening, rythmical style he now uses to such great effect. About the only thing he did keep was the very British backhander that he still employs. He is one of few jockeys whose hands on the reins rest below the height of the horse's mouth. This, along with the play on his ankles allow him to take the pressure of the horse's mouth and relax his mounts to great effect. I remember well the first race on the card at the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita in 1993. His mount started slightly sluggishly from an inside draw.

But Frankie, leathers even shorter than usual, rousted his mount to share the lead. Into the straight, nobody looked more American than LD and we all wanted him to win but however his mount tired and we knew we would have to wait for another day Probably the best track he rides would be Longchamp where he often leads from the front. He is definitely the jockey to have in a tight finish or for horses that need holding up. They seem to explode in the final furlong with him on board. People now love his flying dismounts, not always in Group 1s, as his "thank you" to the fans. Frankie's Magnificent 7 at Ascot on 28 September 1996 was an amazing feat. His concentration was an example to sportsmen & women in any field. The seven winners were: Wall Street (Cumberland Lodge Stakes), Diffident (Diadem Stakes), Decorated Hero (Tote Festival Handicap), Mark of Esteem (Q.E.II Stakes), Fatefully (Rosemary Rated Stakes), Lochangel (Blue Seal Conditions Stakes) and Fujiyama Crest (Gordon Carter Handicap).

His other feats have been becoming Champion Jockey in 1994, 1995 and 2004, being in his 13th year as stable jockey for Godolphin and winning 9 Classics in the UK. He has also ridden 171 Group 1 winners (to Passion for Gold's 2009 Saint-Cloud win). He rode his 100th Group 1 on Kazzia in the 1,000 Guineas. He so nearly had made it the century on Sakhee in the B.C.Classic when just being sniffed out by Tiznow in 2001. The Derby finally made it into his trophy cabinet in 2007 when he won it very easily on Authorised. On December 29th, 2000, Frankie was awarded an MBE by the Queen. In 2001, Frankie announced that Ray Cochrane was his new agent. Together they go back a long way ever since Frankie joined Ray at Luca Cumani's stable in 1985 and have been friends ever since.

2004 For the record to 12/09/05, Frankie had won 348 Group races, 138 Grade/Group 1's, 96 Group 2's and 114 Group 3's. He was also crowned Champion Jockey in the UK in 2004 and was favourite to win it again in 2005. On September 23rd, 2004, top BBC Racing journalist Jonathan Powell launched Frankie's autobiography in conjunction with Frankie and it proved a good read into the life of one of the world's most charismatic and well-known/travelled sportsmen. There is also a DVD about Frankie released on the same date and if you would like to purchase either, just click on the attached link. FRANKIE'S PHOTO GALLERY 2001--94...8th (1,743 to 31/12/01 in UK) and 2,040 career victories.

2002--69...(to 31.12.02) and 2,131 career victories 2003--102...in the UK 2004--195...1st in the UK and 2,475 career victories to Jan 9th 2005.

2005--87...15th (2,540 career victories to Scorpion) 2006--131...5th Oaks--1994 Balanchine, 1995 Moonshell, 2002 Kazzia 2000 Guineas--1996 Mark Of Esteem, 1999 Island Sands 1000 Guineas--1998 Cape Verdi, 2002 Kazzia St Leger--1995 Classic Clich�, 1996 Shantou, 2005 Scorpion, 2006 Sixties Icon, 2008 Conduit Royal Ascot Wins:39 Best Horses ridden: Sakhee, Dubai Millennium, Daylami, Lammtarra, Mark Of Esteem, Swain, Singspiel, Balanchine, Barathea, Lochsong, Marienbard, Electrocutionist, Authorized, Ramonti, Ouija Board, Raven's Pass Group 1 Race Wins: King George--1995 Lammtarra, 1998 Swain, 1

999 Daylami, 2004 Doyen Eclipse Stakes--1998 Daylami, 2004 Refuse to Bend Sussex Stakes--1991 Second Set, 1999 Aljabr, 2001 Noverre, 2007 Ramonti Ascot Gold Cup--1992 & 93 Drum Taps, 1998 Kayf Tara, 2004 Papineau.

St James�s Palace Stakes--1997 Starborough. Queen Anne Stakes--2003 Dubai Destination, 2004 Refuse to Bend, 2007 Ramonti Q.E. II Stakes--1990 Markofdistinction, 1996 Mark Of Esteem, 1999 Dubai Millennium, 2007 Ramonti International Stakes--1996 Halling, 1997 Singspiel, 2001 Sakhee, 2004 Sulamani, 2007 Authorized Juddmonte Lockinge--2000 Aljabr, 2008 Creachadoir Coronation Cup--1996 Swain, 1997 Singspiel, 1999 Daylami, 2001 Mutafaweq Prince of Wales's Stakes--2001 Fantastic Light, Grandera 2002 Nunthorpe Stakes--1993 Lochsong, 1995 So Factual, 1998 Lochangel.

Haydock Sprint Cup--1999 Diktat Nassau Stakes--2001 Lailani, 2006 Ouija Board Ascot Fillies� Mile--1990 Shamshir, 1997 Glorosia, 1999 Teggiano, 2000 Crystal Music.

Cheveley Park--2000 Regal Rose, 2003 Cool Kat Katie Middle Park Stakes--1996 Bahamian Bounty, 1998 Lujain, 2006 Dutch Art Racing Post Trophy--2006 Authorized Prix de l�Arc de Triomphe--1995 Lammtarra, 2001 Sakhee, 2002 Marienbard Prix Vermeille--2003 Mezzo Soprano Prix d'Isaphan--1996 Halling, 2002 Best of the Bests French Derby--1992 Polytain, 2005 Shamardal, 2007 Lawman French 2000 Guineas--1995 Vettori, 2000 Bachir., 2005 Sharmadal Prix Jacques le Marois--1999 Dubai Millennium, 2000 Muhtathir, 2006 Librettist Prix de Moulin--2001 Slickly, 2006 Librettist Prix Jean Prat--1995 Torrential

, 1997 Starborough, 1998 Almutawakel.

Prix Maurice de Gheest--1999 Diktat Prix Morny--1996 Bahamian Bounty Prix de la Salamandre--1995 Lord of Men, 1998 Aljabr. Prix de L'Abbaye--1993 & 94 Lochsong, 2004 Var Prix Marcel Boussac--1996 Ryafan, 2001 Sulk. Grand Prix de Saint Cloud--2005 Alkaased Prix de la Foret--2006 Caradak Prix du Cadran--2006 Sergeant Cecil Grand Criterium--2006 Kirklees Criterium de Saint-Cloud--2009 Passion for Gold Prix de Diane--2007 West Wind Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere--2007 Rio de la Plata UNITED STATES & CANADA (12) Breeders� Cup Turf--1999 Daylami, 2001 Fantastic Light, 2006 Red Rocks Breeders� Cup Mile--1994 Barathea.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile--2004 Wilko, 2008 Donativum Breeders' Cup Fillies & Mares Turf--2006 Ouija Board Breeders' Cup Classic--2008 Raven's Pass Canadian International--2000 Mutafaweq & 2004 Sulamani E.P.Tyalor--2008 Folk Opera Gran Premio di Milano--1997 Shantou, 2007 Sudan Premio Vittorio di Capua--1999 Muhtathir, 2001 & 2002 Slickly, 2004 Ancient World Gran Premio del Jockey Club--1993 Misil, 1996 Shantou, 2001 Kutub, 2005 Cherry Mix, 2009 Schiaparelli Premio Roma--1990 Legal Case, 1992 Misil, 1996 Flemensfirth, 2002 Sunstrach IRELAND (13) Irish 2000 Guineas--2000 Bach

ir, 2005 Dubawi Irish Oaks--2001 Lailani, 2003 Vintage Tipple Irish St Leger--1999 Kayf Tara.

Irish Champion Stakes--1998 Swain, 1999 Daylami, 2001 Fantastic Light, 2002 Grandera Phoenix Stakes--1992 Pips Pride Tattersalls Gold Cup--2001 Fantastic Light National Stakes--2004 Dubawi Dubai World Cup--2000 Dubai Millennium, 2003 Moon Ballad, 2006 Electrocutionist Japan Cup--1996 Singspiel, 2002 Falbrav, 2005 Alkased German Derby--1991 Temporal Deutschland Preis--1997 Luso, 2002 Marienbard Bayerisches Zuchtrennen--1995 Germany Grosser Preis Von Baden--1995 Germany, 2002 Marienbard, 2003 Mamool Grosser Dallmayr Preis--2001 Kutub Europa Preis--2001 Kutub, 2003 Mamool Hong Kong Cup--2000 Fantastic Light, 2003 Falbrav, 2007 Ramonti Homg

 Kong Mile--2004 Firebreak Singapore Airlines International Cup--2002 Grandera Japan Cup Dirt--2002 Eagle Cafe Dubai Sheema Classic--2003 Sulamani Dubai Golden Shaheen--2007 Kelly's Landing Frankie's Career wins Worldwide.

Seven is not this bookmaker’s lucky number – Sports Journalists' Association | admin “Dettori Day”, nearly 15 years ago, delighted punters and had the bookies running for cover. Not quickly enough in the case of Gary Wiltshire, who tells his story in a new book reviewed by ANTON RIPPON On the Saturday morning of September 28, 1996, bookmaker Gary Wiltshire was driving along the M40, heading for Worcester racecourse where he had decided to pitch for the day. But a huge tailback of traffic made him change his mind. Abandoning the humble fare of a Midlands jumps meeting, Wiltshire decided to turn around and head for Ascot instead. It was a decision that was to change his life forever. He was about to become the biggest casualty of Dettori Day. As Wiltshire set up on his lowly rails pitch, around the country, and on the course, mug punters were filling out slips for multiple bets and accumulators on some of Frankie Dettori’s seven rides at Ascot.

Some fools were even placing money on Dettori to win all seven races, something that had never been done in the history of horseracing. Long, long ago, Gordon Richards and Alec Russell had each gone through a six-race card at far humbler meetings. But winning all seven races at a prestigious meeting like that Ascot Saturday? Come off it. The day started quietly for Wiltshire, who was hardly involved as Dettori won the first race, then the second, then third … and then the fourth. Suddenly interest picked up. The BBC, who had planned to show only the first four races, decided to stick with the remainder of the meeting. It was the fifth race, the Rosemary Dated Stakes, that began Wiltshire’s nightmare. Dettori was riding a filly called Fatefully, who in the morning prices had been quoted at 9/2. But in the Ascot betting ring, the big firms were now trying to limit the damage from Dettori having ridden the first four winners. Fatefully opened at 5/2 and was well backed down to 13/8. At that point Wiltshire was £800 up on the day.

Hardly big money, but modestly respectable. Now he decided to make some real money. Fatefully was being offered at less than 2/1 for what, a few hours earlier, had been a more than double those odds. Do me a favour. Wiltshire started laying bets on Fatefully. Fatefully, with Dettori on board, started at 7/4 and won by a neck. It wasn’t fear – or common sense – that prevented Wiltshire from getting involved in the sixth race. Along with everyone else, he simply fancied Dettori to win it on the 5/4 favourite, Loch Angel. In the seventh race, though, Dettori was aboard an old gelding named Fujiyama Crest. In the morning papers, Fujiyama Crest had been generally around 12/1 and at one stage had even gone out to 20/1. But now punters around Britain were putting their money on history being made. Of course, this meant that Fujiyama Crest’s odds were tumbling. But even all that weight of money didn’t mean that the horse could run any faster.

As far as Gary Wiltshire was concerned, Fujiyama Crest was still “a dog”. And laying “dogs” had long been how the jolly, fat bookmaker had made a living so comfortable that he owned a five-bedroomed house near Towcester, a cottage in Norfolk, a villa in Portugal, two Mercedes E320 convertibles, and several racehorses. The bookmaker had no problem in taking a £5,000 bet at 4/1 from fellow bookie Roy Christie. That was the start of the avalanche that was about to engulf Gary Wiltshire. With the big bookmakers on the rails now going as low as 6/4, and the off-course bookies trying to force the price to a damage-limiting odds-on, the man who should have been having a quiet day at Worcester was still calling out 3/1 and attracting plenty of takers. It was the proverbial licence to print money. Or so he thought. Seventh heaven: Dettori, having ridden his ultimate winner at Ascot By the off, Fujiyama Crest was down to 2/1 around the course. But Wiltshire’s little pitch was where all the focus was.

On that single race, he had taken almost £1 million in bets, nearly half a million of it from Coral alone, at odds varying from 7/2 to 9/4. And, of course, as we all now know, Lanfranco Dettori rode Fujiyama Crest to victory by a neck. History had indeed been made. And Gary Wiltshire had been ruined. That night, at Milton Keynes dogs, the first bet he took was from a punter who wanted £1 on a 2-1 shot. It was going to be a long way back. But back he fought. And that was probably why, at the end of it all, he chose to write his autobiography, Winning It All Back, in which Wiltshire tells not only the full story of that fateful day at Ascot, and its blistering aftermath, but also how he came to be a bookmaker in the first place and all the roller-coaster moments of a life more full of fun and laughter than of gloom and doom.

From working on a flower stall in Leather Lane market (a regular patron was “keen gardener” Violet Kray, doting mum of Ronnie and Reggie) to fame as the Bookie Who Lost A Million, Wiltshire’s story is fast and entertaining. He refers to himself as a Cockney when, in fact, he was born and raised in Islington. Of course, a cheery Cockney is a better image for a Jack-the-Lad bookie, but as Wiltshire is (cliché alert) already a larger-than-life character, there is no need for such embellishment. From the age of five or six, he could calculate odds, and all he ever wanted to do was be a bookie. It seems to be in his blood: his paternal grandfather and his maternal grandmother both liked a daily punt. At an early age he sought counselling for a gambling addiction. He was a good young footballer, although it takes some imagination to picture the 32st “Belly From Telly” – he is a familiar face on BBC’s horseracing coverage and on Sky’s nights at the dogs programmes – as a goalkeeper once good enough to play for Islington schoolboys and attract Leyton Orient’s brief attention.

After his Ascot nightmare, Wiltshire had two stark choices: walk away from his legally unenforceable gambling debts and be warned off every racecourse, his bookmaking career over; or sell everything he owned, pay off every penny, and start again. Wiltshire chose the latter course. His first port of call was to see Coral’s Trevor Beaumont, who told him, “You’ve got a good name and, if you say you will pay, then I know you will.” And he did. Winning It All Back by Gary Wiltshire (Racing Post, £18.99) For more book reviews and news from the sports publishing business, click here UPCOMING SJA DATES Tue Apr 5: SJA Olympic Question Time. Click here to find out more Wed Apr 13: SJA 2011 Annual Meeting , at offices of UK Sport, Russell Square. Strictly SJA members only. Wed Dec 7: SJA 2011 British Sports Awards – note the date in your diary now. All details subject to alteration. Keep checking sportsjournalists.co.uk for updates Like this:

Question: On which racecourse did Frankie Dettori ride all seven winners at one meeting
Answer: Ascot