Frankie

High-profile sports stars choose to walk a fine line between nurturing the bloom of their celebrity, and exercising the talent that made them famous in the first place. Horseracing's most recognisable face, Frankie Dettori - TV quiz show star, pizza endorser, restaurateur and pal of Vinnie Jones - publicly remarked recently that he realised he had crossed that line when someone seriously asked him how long ago he retired from being a jockey. In some ways then, Frankie, is a timely reminder that not only is Dettori a hugely talented horseman who is most definitely still riding, he's arguably at his peak. At the time of writing the Italian has all-but landed his first jockeys' championship in ten years - after a frantic summer compared to his almost part-time campaigns of recent years - and is once again the best known AND the best. Thankfully while this `autobiography', written with journalist Jonathan Powell, is not shy of trumpeting Dettori's unique achievements, it embraces the darker side of the affable imp persona too. Forget the married-with-kids, polished performer who appears on TV now - young Frankie, by his own admission, was a tearaway, a night-club wolf, a drugs-dabbler who was perilously close to seeing his career go permanently off the rails. Even when he had established himself as champion jockey he recalls among other failings, behaving like 'a real bastard' to challenger, and one-time pal, Jason Weaver, when he feared his crown was under threat. It's far from the only time when we see behind the cheeky chappie mask. Whether by accident or design, Dettori is refreshingly candid when it comes to revealing faults. His somewhat traditional views on women, in particular, will rankle with some. As will the underlying tone - Frankie's very much the star of the show, on the racecourse and off, and it's not an altogether likeable trait. But that's exactly what makes this book so entertaining - did you really think winners were nice guys? --Alex Hankin

View other editions of Frankie.
View books by Frankie Dettori.

Dettori is wonderfully frank in Frankie - Rated
After my recently crazed obsession regarding horse-racing (mainly throwing my hard-earned cash Mr Hills way) I decided to purchase 'Frankie' and I definitely was not disappointed.

The little fellow with a huge personality gives fantastic insight into the life of a jockey and proves how difficult it is to become successful in the racing industry. Dettori's stories will keep you amused throughout, taking you from his youthful ambition to play professional football, to the drug scandal that almost ended his career. Dettori holds nothing back; confesses about stealing; participating in a joyride and his huge relief of surviving a plane crash.

There are a few mistakes, which others have pointed out in their reviews, but content is more important and one would have to lay the blame on Jonathan Powell who has actually written the book (Dettori dictating!). The book is also nicely spaced out into four sections of photographs capturing wonderful moments throughout Dettori's life.

The content is surprising extensive considering how young Dettori is, but do not let this deter you from reading - At the time of writing, Frankie is in hospital due to a fall which could have ended his life, proving that writing an autobiography at this stage in his career is essential for a man of his calibre, providing the pages can be filled - which they are!

Essential reading for anyone interested in Sport, Horse-racing, betting and Dettori's tinned tomatoes!!

Dettori is wonderfully frank in Frankie - Rated
After my recently crazed obsession regarding horse-racing (mainly throwing my hard-earned cash Mr Hills way) I decided to purchase 'Frankie' and I definitely was not disappointed.

The little fellow with a huge personality gives fantastic insight into the life of a jockey and proves how difficult it is to become successful in the racing industry. Dettori's stories will keep you amused throughout, taking you from his youthful ambition to play professional football, to the drug scandal that almost ended his career. Dettori holds nothing back; confesses about stealing; participating in a joyride and his huge relief of surviving a plane crash.

There are a few mistakes, which others have pointed out in their reviews, but content is more important and one would have to lay the blame on Jonathan Powell who has actually written the book (Dettori dictating!). The book is also nicely spaced out into four sections of photographs capturing wonderful moments throughout Dettori's life.

The content is surprising extensive considering how young Dettori is, but do not let this deter you from reading - At the time of writing, Frankie is in hospital due to a fall which could have ended his life, proving that writing an autobiography at this stage in his career is essential for a man of his calibre, providing the pages can be filled - which they are!

Essential reading for anyone interested in Sport, Horse-racing, betting and Dettori's tinned tomatoes!!

Dettori is wonderfully frank in Frankie - Rated
After my recently crazed obsession regarding horse-racing (mainly throwing my hard-earned cash Mr Hills way) I decided to purchase 'Frankie' and I definitely was not disappointed.

The little fellow with a huge personality gives fantastic insight into the life of a jockey and proves how difficult it is to become successful in the racing industry. Dettori's stories will keep you amused throughout, taking you from his youthful ambition to play professional football, to the drug scandal that almost ended his career. Dettori holds nothing back; confesses about stealing; participating in a joyride and his huge relief of surviving a plane crash.

There are a few mistakes, which others have pointed out in their reviews, but content is more important and one would have to lay the blame on Jonathan Powell who has actually written the book (Dettori dictating!). The book is also nicely spaced out into four sections of photographs capturing wonderful moments throughout Dettori's life.

The content is surprising extensive considering how young Dettori is, but do not let this deter you from reading - At the time of writing, Frankie is in hospital due to a fall which could have ended his life, proving that writing an autobiography at this stage in his career is essential for a man of his calibre, providing the pages can be filled - which they are!

Essential reading for anyone interested in Sport, Horse-racing, betting and Dettori's tinned tomatoes!!

A brilliant read! - Rated
Frankie Dettori holds nothing back in this "warts and all" autobiography. From the heady heights of his amazing 7 from 7 winners at Ascot in 1996 to his near fatal plane crash.

The book is totally endearing, with lots of surprising moments and lots of amusing moments too. There are a large quantity of photos throughout the book, not just of Frankie on horses, but other off-course antics as well.

In being so honest Frankie reveals the hardships of being a top jockey; the highs, the lows and the days that really made him question why he WAS a jockey...along with lots of stories of the wild-child situations he found himself in, early in his career. You don't have to be a fan of the man to appreciate his story and the huge amounts of information on the workings behind the scenes in horse racing.

If you buy this book you won't be disappointed!!!

Interesting but errors make it annoying! - Rated
This book could have rated higher than three stars but for the glaring and amateurish errors in it. It starts off well and is an interesting account of Frankie's life. Also there are four colour photo sections which are interesting and add value.

However, once spotted, the mistakes start to annoy you and eventually ruin the enjoyment of the book. For instance, Marilyn Monroe spelt 'Munroe', Trusthouse Forte spelt Trust House Fort, and, most disturbing in a book written with someone who's supposed to have been a horseracing journalist for 23 years, War Admiral was the horse who duelled with Seabisuit NOT War Emblem! There are also various typing errors.

For me, the book came across as written in a hurry but is worth a read if you can gloss over the errors.