Andy Newton
Former top jockey Frankie Dettori has been discharged from hospital after suffering four broken ribs in a horror road crash that saw his borrowed two-seater Smart car flip onto its roof.
Despite the frightening accident, the legendary jockey is determined to be back in the saddle in just ten weeks’ time.
With the Doncaster Leger Legends race his comeback target in September.
Frankie Dettori Suffered Broken Ribs and Thumb
Dettori, 55, was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge last week after suffering fractured ribs and a broken thumb.
The world’s most famous rider was driving the borrowed Smart car when a Ford Focus allegedly collided with it, sending the vehicle overturning onto its roof.
Remarkably, Dettori managed to force open the door, climb out of the wreckage and get himself to safety before sitting at the roadside and calling the emergency services to the scene near his Suffolk home.
The driver of the other car was reported to have escaped injury.
Frankie Dettori Discharged From Hospital and Recovering at Mother-in-Law’s House
Frankie Dettori was discharged from hospital on Friday evening and is now recovering at his mother-in-law’s house.
Frankie Dettori Comeback Still On The Cards
Although he officially retired from race riding in February, he has agreed to make a one-off comeback in the Leger Legends race at Doncaster in September.
Now working as a global ambassador for Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing operation, Dettori says he remains determined to keep that commitment.
Speaking to the Racing Post, Frankie Dettori said: “We’ve ten weeks before the Leger Legends race, so hopefully I’ll be OK.
“If it was next week I definitely would be out, as I won’t be able to run, never mind get on a horse.
“Time heals everything and hopefully I can still make Doncaster.
“I’m committed to it, I said I would do it and if I can I will.”
The Leger Legends race will be run on Friday 11th September at Doncaster.
And while this will see a Dettori comeback, it’s purely a one-off and we don’t expect to see the former champion jockey race riding full-time again.
Former Jockey Was Chicken Shopping When Crash Happened
Dettori’s wife, Catherine, told Sun Racing that her husband had simply been heading out to buy some chicken when the crash happened.
She said: “We’re just so thankful.
“Frankie’s being looked after and, thankfully, he’s going to be OK.
“We’d borrowed the Smart car from a friend because we’d been back and forth to America and didn’t really have a car ourselves.”
Reflecting on how quickly events unfolded, Catherine added: “Someone once said ‘God laughs at people who make plans’.
“Yesterday Frankie was talking about riding again, and then this happens.
“I’ve never had to see someone sitting at the side of the road after a crash before. It’s awful. You suddenly realise just how serious these things can be.
“He got himself to the side of the road and there were so many lovely neighbours there almost straight away. People were so kind.”
Frankie Dettori Pulled from Plane Crash in Newmarket in 2000
The recent Frankie Dettori car crash in Newmarket isn’t the first time the former champion jockey has been involved in a serious accident at British horse racing’s headquarters.
On 1 June 2000, Dettori survived one of the sport’s most shocking incidents when a light aircraft carrying him, fellow jockey Ray Cochrane and pilot Patrick Mackey crashed shortly after taking off from Newmarket Racecourse en route to Goodwood.
The Piper Seneca failed to gain enough height, struck an embankment known as the Devil’s Dyke and burst into flames.
Pilot Sadly Lost His Life
Pilot Patrick Mackey tragically lost his life, while Dettori and Cochrane escaped in what police described as a “miracle.” Dettori suffered a broken right ankle, facial cuts and other injuries that kept him out of racing for several months, while Cochrane sustained burns and bruising.
In the aftermath of the crash, Cochrane pulled Dettori from the wreckage before bravely attempting to rescue Mackey, but the intense flames made it impossible. His actions later earned him the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery.
The crash had a profound effect on Dettori, who has since revealed he believed he was about to die as the aircraft came down. The experience changed his outlook on life and racing, making him value time with his family and every opportunity he had in the saddle.
Remarkably, he returned later that season and went on to enjoy many of the greatest successes of his career, including further Classic victories and multiple Royal Ascot triumphs.
An investigation by the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch was unable to determine a single definitive cause of the crash, concluding only that the aircraft failed to climb properly after take-off before striking the embankment.
More than two decades later, the Newmarket plane crash remains one of the defining moments of Dettori’s life and career, and a stark reminder of how close racing came to losing one of its greatest-ever jockeys.
When Did Frankie Dettori Retire?
After extending his glittering career beyond his original farewell plans, Frankie Dettori officially retired from race-riding in February 2026.
The Italian legend had initially intended to call time at the end of the 2023 British season before deciding to continue riding in the United States and internationally, explaining that he still had the passion and desire to compete.
Dettori’s final farewell took him on a tour of South America before he bowed out at Gávea Racecourse in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 1 February 2026.
Fittingly, he signed off in style by riding a memorable double on his last day in the saddle, including victory aboard Classic winner Cold Heart in the Grande Prêmio Henrique Possolo (Brazilian 1,000 Guineas), before producing his trademark flying dismount one final time to the delight of racing fans.
Bringing the curtain down on a remarkable career spanning four decades, Dettori retired with more than 3,300 winners worldwide, 23 British Classic victories, hundreds of Group 1 successes and an enduring reputation as one of horse racing’s greatest-ever jockeys.
His final day in Brazil provided a fitting ending to one of the sport’s most celebrated careers, with the famous flying dismount serving as the perfect farewell.
