The above artwork in Newmarket is one of a number commissioned by The Jockey Club and painted at key racing towns to mark Frankie Dettori’s 38-year racing career. Picture: Edward Whittaker (Racing Post)
The AidanOBrienFansite, which is unaffiliated and whose views are their own, is one entity who believe Frankie Dettori has cashed in on a retirement that has turned out to not be an overall retirement but rather just a retirement from British racing.
It should be reiterated that the great trainer Aidan O’Brien is not responsible for the views held and likely does not endorse anything said on the site, although it does provide information on anything to do with his yard.
The site tweeted last Thursday :”Retirement Dinner in London at £1200 per person you could not write it. He has more front than Blackpool Beach. He’s been great for racing and I have enjoyed the Frankie show over the years. This feels a bit scandalous and attention seeking. But, hey ho, only my opinion folks, no axe to grind here, just thinking out loud.”
Following some tweeters who disagreed with him, the person who runs the site replied,
“Guarantee he will ride in Europe next season.”
He tweeted on the subject again the following day, saying:
“I have received somewhat of a Backlash for my comments on Frankie yesterday. To be clear I have no axe to grind over the Frankie retirement tour and U Turn. I Like Frankie but the fact a lot of his fans think that he has done absolutely nothing wrong completely flummoxes me, but I was bought up by parents who valued ethics, taught me right from wrong and taught me that integrity is everything. If you can’t see anything wrong with cashing in on a fake retirement then good luck to you. All I know the whole thing does not sit easy with me at all. My last word on the episode.”
He did have one more telling comments though. He later tweeted:
“I read his kids moved to America ages ago, knowing he was going to ride there.”
He then turned it up into a harsher tone when replying to the following two tweets:
George: “I have to agree and I’m a big Frankie fan myself. The money he’s made from this stunt, some of his interviews make more sense now we know he’s off to America, as in many of them I was thinking he really didn’t look upset about retiring.”
