Frankie Dettori horse racing trophies up for auction in Cambridge
Silverware won by horse racing champion Frankie Dettori is going under the hammer.
The prized items are part of a 126-piece collection being sold off by the world-famous jockey who is retiring from the sport.
Dettori, 52, has been clearing out items from his country pile near Newmarket, Suffolk, as he and his wife Catherine prepare to move house.
The sports star has had more than 4,000 wins over a career which started in the 1980s and he plans to retire after Ascot in October.
His one-off items are being sold by in an online auction by Cheffins in Cambridge from 5 July, due to last two weeks.
These include some of the most significant prizes he has won to date, including the trophy for his win in the Epsom Oaks in June 2023, his jockey scales which he has used for the past 30 years, saddle, boots, photographs and racing silks.
The sale has been described by auctioneers as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own prizes and memorabilia from one of the greatest sports personalities worldwide".
Dettori said: "Newmarket’s been my life.
"We’re scaling down and I’ve got so much stuff, we thought we might as well just auction it.
"I didn’t realise because they end up in drawers, in cupboards, in the cellar, I mean they’re all over the place.
"Now we’re clearing up a lot of stuff, we didn’t realise how much accumulated in so many years.”
He said it had been difficult to decide what to sell and what to keep.
"Yes, of course, you know, but then you’ve got to put everything in context,” he said.
"You need a mansion to put the trophies up.
"I tried to keep something what means something to me, some of the important stuff like the Derby and things like that, but the rest is going to go up in auction."
He continued: "All my kids have branched out so it’s only myself and Catherine my wife left so we’re planning to rent the house, scale down and move towards London a bit."
The sportsman said it would be hard to retire but felt it was the right time.
He added his final goal in racing was to win the July Cup at Newmarket - a trophy which has eluded him so far.
Harriet Lusty, deputy saleroom manager at Cheffins, said: "This is an incredible opportunity for fans of horseracing, and we expect interest from buyers not only from the UK but also from across Europe, the Middle East and also the US as Frankie Dettori is consistently the most famous name in the sport worldwide.
"Usually, these prizes from top athletes are kept under lock and key, so this is a really unusual scenario where everyday fans can own a part of sporting history."
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