The sale of over 120 lots of trophies, prizes, silks and memorabilia from horse racing legend Frankie Dettori saw international interest with bidders from across the globe taking part in the online auction.
The sale which took place from 5th July until 18th July, was hosted by Cambridge-based auction house, Cheffins, and saw hundreds of trophies, salvers, plaques and medals which have been won by Dettori in the most prestigious race meetings the world over, including throughout the UK, USA, Middle East, Singapore, Hong Kong and Europe.
A selection of items from The Frankie Dettori Sale
There were a number of highlight lots in the sale, including a Betfred Oaks Epsom signed trophy from June 2023 which sold for £5000 to a buyer from United Kingdom; a trophy from a 37th race meeting from HH Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani from Qatar which sold for £3200 ; a pair of signed racing boots from a race in Saudi Arabia sold for £2800 and a signed racing saddle used by Dettori at Epsom which achieved £1,400. In addition, Frankie Dettori’s jockey weighing scales, which were gifted to Dettori by champion American jockey Steve Cauthen and which Dettori claims he has been “jumping on and off for over thirty years,” and which have been signed, achieved £550, while a set of royal blue ex-Godolphin silks sold for £4600 from a buyer from Japan.
The sale took place following Frankie Dettori’s decision to ‘scale down’ his property near Newmarket with his wife Catherine. As part of their move, the couple have been clearing some of the thousands of prizes and trophies won by Dettori throughout his illustrious career. Set to retire this November, 52-year-old Dettori, said:
“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. And I’d like to travel the world a bit.”
“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.”
Harriet Lusty, Deputy Saleroom Manager at Cheffins comments:
“This auction brought buyers from the world over to Cheffins, with bidders online from Australia, Hong Kong, USA, Japan, the UK and throughout Europe. This really was a one-off opportunity for many of Frankie’s army of fans to buy a part of sporting history and own a piece of memorabilia from one of the greatest sports personalities worldwide. As Frankie is such a household name and easily the most famous person in the history of horseracing, we did expect to see a great deal of interest in this sale, however some of the prices achieved for the more important lots have been unprecedented. We were delighted to be able to assist the Dettori family in scaling down the numbers of trophies and memorabilia items kept at the house and would like to congratulate the lucky buyers who were successful during the sale.”
Part of the proceeds will go to the charity Direct Aid for Africa (DAFA), and some will go to Dettori’s five children.
Auction: The Frankie Dettori Sale – 5th – 18th July