FRANCE/FILE: HORSE RACING: Dettori says he has let down the sport and his wife and children

Record ID: 678326

  • Title: FRANCE/FILE: HORSE RACING: Dettori says he has let down the sport and his wife and children
  • Date: 5th December 2012
  • Summary: (FILE - PARIS, FRANCE) (FILE - 2012) (REUTERS) EXTERIORS OF FRANCE GALOP
  • Embargoed: 20th December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAX909VWE1TWYD41943T13Y5L3
  • Story Text: Jockey has been banned from French races for six months
    Italian jockey Frankie Dettori has been banned from riding in French races for six months after a positive dope test at Longchamp, the French racing authority said on Wednesday (December 5).
    Dettori, 41, tested positive for the unidentified substance on Sept. 16.
    "France Galop stewards decided to ban jockey Frankie Dettori from riding in public races from December 19, 2012 to May 19, 2013," the French authority said in a statement.
    "They also asked the foreign racing authorities to extend the ban to the races they rule."
    Dettori's solicitor Christopher Stewart-Moore, filmed in Paris on Tuesday (December 4) after advance notice of the decision, said in a statement his client fully accepted the decision.
    "I have spoken to Frankie since the announcement was made and he has told me he fully accepts France Galop's decision. He also accepts he has let down the sport he loves and all those associated with it, as well as the wider public. But most of all, and this is his greatest regret, he has let down his wife and children. He is enormously grateful for the opportunities he has been given by owners and trainers over the years and for the support of his many fans. Racing has been good to Frankie, and he knows that his privileged position brings with it responsibility. For this reason he is determined to rebuild his reputation when he returns to the saddle." the solicitor said.
    "He is clear however that the responsibility for his current situation lies squarely with him. From the start of France Galop's inquiry he has acknowledged that he has made a mistake, and that the fault was his," he continued.
    Dettori was suspended for six months in 2006 after failing a drugs test.
    The British-based jockey will also have to undergo a further test from April 20 next year before he is cleared to resume riding.
    "Samples will be taken during this medical in order to test him for prohibited substances again," the France Galop statement said.
    Dettori, one of the biggest names in flat racing, won all seven races in one afternoon at Ascot in 1996, costing bookmakers millions of pounds in payouts.
    He announced in October that he was ending his 18-year stint as the retained jockey for the Godolphin stable of Sheikh Mohammed, for whom he has ridden 110 Group One winners around the world since 1994.
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