Dettori says retirement not on cards Frankie Dettori insists he has no thoughts of hanging up his riding boots in the near future - and could ride until he reaches 50. The Italian turns 40 before the year is out, but is arguably riding as well as ever and retirement is anything but on his mind. Dettori rocketed to superstardom in 1996 when his 'Magnificent Seven' saw him go through the card at Ascot, costing the bookmaking industry fortunes, and showed the old sparkle is still very much there when riding a four-timer on the corresponding card last month. As a big weekend beckons at Newmarket with the last staging of Champions' Day before its controversial reinvention at Ascot next year, Dettori told BBC Radio 5Live he is more than happy with his lot at the moment. He said: "When I first started I just wanted to be a jockey, but I never even dreamt of being where I am now. "Things just developed, I had some great teachers, success came, Godolphin was invented and it went nuts in 1996 when I won seven at Ascot. "To do seven in an ordinary day is hard enough, but to do it at Ascot on a festival day - when I look back it is still a shock. Someone will do it again, but not in a hurry. It's been a dream since. "Winning the Derby and major races all around the world has been phenomenal and I have to pinch myself every day. "I love it, it becomes part of your life. In the first stage you start with the dream, I fulfilled those dreams and now I am on stage three where I don't have the pressure. I go to work with a smile on my face. "It's my life, I enjoy it and I have a good stable. I think I'm riding as well as I have ever done and I will just carry on. "I never thought I would carry on until I am 50, but I feel happy and healthy and it's not a million miles away, as long as I keep myself tidy and injury free and have a good job I'll carry on as long as I can." Asked about the pending move of the Champion Stakes and other races to Ascot next year for an all-new showpiece day, Dettori said: "I have mixed feelings about it. "It's going to be pretty different, but you know my love of Ascot so I'm not going to complain. It's a second home to me, I'm looking forward to the challenge and I'm sure it will be a sell-out crowd." One thing Dettori has never won is the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, and he is fully behind the campaign to see his jumping equivalent Tony McCoy break the mould and land the coveted honour. The clamour to see McCoy recognised has gathered momentum ever since the National Hunt legend broke his Grand National hoodoo on Don't Push It at Aintree in April. Dettori said: "In a way we were in the same scenario. I'd won every big race, but I had 15 goes at the Derby before I won it. I have to say winning the Derby is a lot easier than the National. "To have an exceptional career like AP (McCoy), he's won everything, smashed every record, so to finish a career not having not won the National would have been devastating. "I think the whole country was riding the horse with him. I had my fingers crossed it would happen and you could see a long way out it would. I had a lump in my throat when he crossed the line, it was a tremendous achievement. "If one person deserves it (Sports Personality) it is him. His talent has brought the sport to another level. "People like (Muhammad) Ali, (Michael) Schumacher, (Michael) Jordan - some great sportsman are ahead of their time and he came along in jumps racing and he was 20 years above his time and they are only just catching him up. "It would be recognition for the public to vote for him because he deserves it." Dettori is also out to land a first of his own on Saturday, as he has yet to win the Champion Stakes, which will be run for the last time at Newmarket. He will try on the Godolphin-owned Poet's Voice, winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot last time out over a mile. He said: "Poet's Voice is a lovely horse, he won the QEII over a mile - we're stretching him to a mile and a quarter but we feel the horse is on an upward curve and we should give it a go. "This is the last one at Newmarket and it will be a fairytale if it does happen."
