The Grand-Father

Frankie Dettori must have been delighted this week to win a race at Royal Ascot with Godolphin, especially given the fact that Godolphin hasn't had much success at the top level recently. In 2004, Godolphin won six races at Royal Ascot, but this race was only their fourth win since. Dettori is an iconic jockey and his support from the Ascot crowd grows ever stronger, especially as he had been absent during Godolphin's decline.

Frankie Dettori's following is well justified and he is one of the most popular jockeys in the world of flat racing. His father, Gianfranco Dettori introduced him to horse racing, and this was indeed a prestigious start for the young Frankie, as Gianfranco was a champion jockey in Italy and a 1,000 Guineas winner. If any more encouragement was needed, his mother was a professional circus performer, whose main act was to perform back flips whilst riding astride two horses. Frankie first began riding at the tender age of eight, when his Gianfranco bought him a Palomino pony, and he was dedicated straight away, practicing every day. He was definitely as in love with the horses as his father and so when he was thirteen he decided to leave school to become a stable hand, before starting work for Italian trainer Luca Cumani in England. By the time he was fifteen years old he had started working as a full-time jockey, and when he returned to Italy a year later he rode 14 winners in his first season. In 1987, he won his first race in England on Lizzy Hare at Goodwood. In 1989, Luca Cumani made Dettori his stable jockey after becoming Champion Apprentice, and he just kept on winning races. By 1990, Dettori was still a teenager but had won his first major race, the Queen Elizabeth II stakes on Mark of Distinction, plus he had managed to record one hundred victories. Lester Piggot was the last person to have won so many races in their teens, and Dettori was the youngest jockey in British flat racing to achieve this feat. The following year Dettori won his first derby in Germany, but his greatest achievement was winning seven Royal Ascot races in one day in 1996. This of course made history and floored bookies who had put 6720-1 odds against him achieving a seven-race run of wins. This of course was the turning point for Dettori ? he was suddenly a legend and started receiving huge amounts of publicity.

Dettoris greatest strength is that he rides with his hands as low as possible, which relaxes the horse, and in doing so Dettori has won every single major race bar the Epsom Derby.

However even though he leads the perfect life in terms of career success, he has had his share of mishaps ? in 2001 he was involved in a serious plane crash when his chartered flight to Goodwood crashed. Unfortunately the pilot was killed but Dettori miraculously escaped unharmed. Dettori absolutely loves England and thrives on English culture ? he supports Arsenal, was awarded an honorary MBE and even has his own line of Italian food! You couldn't get more famous as a jockey if you tried!

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Do you know who are the top Grand National runners in this years race at Aintree?