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Jan. 11, 2024 - Uncensored - Piers Morgan
47:25
20240111_piers-morgan-uncensored-frankie-dettori
Transcriber: nvidia/parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v2, sat-12l-sm, and large-v3-turbo
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Time Text
Why I Didn't Retire 00:02:50
Tonight on Piers Morgan uncensored, I've come to Santa Anita Racetrack in Los Angeles, one of the great sporting arenas in America.
I've come here because Frankie DiTori, one of the great jockeys in history and certainly the most charismatic, announced his retirement last year in England and went on a farewell tour that was so successful, he's ended up unretiring.
A scoop for you guys.
I am deciding to prolong my career.
I'm going to go to the United States for next year and keep on following me.
He wanted a new challenge and he's come here to America to pursue it right here on this track and he's already having great success.
Frankie goes to Hollywood.
And I'm going to be very uncensored.
That is definitely true.
So Frankie, last time I spoke to you, you had retired.
Yes.
That was it.
You were never getting back on a horse competitivity again.
And yet here I find you in Hollywood.
Frankie's gone to Hollywood.
Why did you change your mind?
So basically, when I started this year, no, sorry, last year, I thought, well, I'm going to be 53.
I'm going to stop at the top.
Obviously, we talked about this before, you know, watching the World Cup, see Ronaldo on the bench.
And I thought, well, I want to stop.
And then people remembered that I was good.
I don't want to stop that, you know, I can't get a ride.
And then I said, well, I'll give myself a year.
I want to say goodbye to everyone, all the countries that I've been, including my own Italian country.
And then when I started, I started winning and then I thought, well, this is not going to carry on.
And then I kept on winning, I kept on winning.
I got to about August and just couldn't stop winning.
And I started having regrets, thinking, you know, am I ready to stop?
You know, I'm still in demand.
But because I made such a big deal that I was going to stop and everybody else made it such a big deal.
It was the greatest farewell tour sincere.
He kept coming back.
Yeah, including a lifestyle statue unveiled by Queen Camilla at Alaska.
But then, you know, I have to live with myself.
And I thought, well, I'm not ready to stop because I'm still doing so well.
But I kind of ran out of avenues because it would have been foolish to say I would have carried on in England after what I said.
So I only had one option to come here in California, where I like very much.
And it just gave me a little bit extra time to get out of my system.
It's a stunning racetrack.
I mean, I've had a home in LA for a long time.
The Cost of Fame 00:13:10
I've never been here.
You come here in the morning, it's early, only you would get me out of bed this early.
And you come and the sun was coming up and the magical scene of the Santa Anita track.
It's really, it's a magical place.
It's amazing, I'll be honest with you.
It is probably one of the best looking tracks in the world with the mountains in the backdrop.
The track itself is set in a beautiful piece of land.
You've got these massive palm trees in the middle of it.
Yeah, I mean, the light, I mean, if that doesn't take your breath away, no other tracks will.
And every morning when I come here, I feel like I'm blessed to be able to, you know, enjoy my last bit to my career in such a beautiful place.
Interestingly, at the very start of your career, you did come here and you did a couple of years, maybe wasn't it?
I did four winters here.
I came here when I was 16 as an illegal worker.
I came here on a tourist visa.
And I mean, the first couple of weeks, I got into the track without getting caught.
And then eventually I got caught by security, so I had to use other entrances to get in.
When I've spoken to you, we've known each other a long time, about the hard reality of being a jockey.
Yeah.
The amount of injuries you sustain.
And this is not even jump stuff.
This is just flat racing.
Talk me through the injuries that you've had over the years.
Well, first of all, we go extra fast.
We go over 40 miles an hour.
And we're actually about six feet off the ground.
And we race inches to each other.
Do you have any padding at all or not?
We have a little paddy, but there's not a...
Because obviously weight is a big issue.
So you can't put a hammer around you because it weighs.
And so one little mistake can end up in an accident.
And when you go that fast and that speed, you break.
You know, we were talking about it.
I mean, I feel like one of the blessed ones.
I broke my ankle twice, both of my elbows.
I broke my collarbone, I broke my shoulder, ribs, fingers.
And I feel like I did alright.
Really?
Yeah.
There's a lot of people in my sport that broke a lot more.
I mean, when you start this job, the smell, the speed, the adrenaline, the crowd, the excitement gets you sucked into this sport.
You never feel or think about the danger.
I mean, if you knew where you were going to fall, you wouldn't do it because it is dangerous.
But what I said to you just now, the highs overpower the laws of getting injured and messing yourself up.
Like I said, when you...
What was the toughest injury?
Tough injuries.
I mean, they're all tough.
What was the hardest to get back from?
Well, shoulder?
Well, I broke my ankle.
That took a long time because obviously you need your ankle to balance in the stirrups.
Shoulder again, they're fixed quickly, but then the pain was there for a year.
You know, every injury is bad because, like every sportsman will tell you, we always try to come back earlier than it should have done because we don't want to miss out.
You know, because the longer you stay off, then you're in danger of missing out on a good horse.
You've had 3,000 winners.
You've had three decades of racing.
About that.
Yeah, it's an incredible stat.
This is my 37th year, I can imagine.
How much of that percentage-wise have you spent in some form of pain?
You get used to it.
I can't really don't know much percentage.
If you were guessing?
I would say a quarter of it.
Really?
Yeah, a quarter of my career, you know, then you always had some.
So something.
Yes, but you don't think like that because it's always a dangling carrot.
It's always a big race coming up.
It's always that chance that you will win a big race somewhere and that kind of is the best painkiller in the world.
The other really tough physical demand of racing is your weight.
Yes.
What is your fighting weight?
What's your best weight, would you say?
In America, I ride at 118 pounds.
What is the equivalent of 86 in English pounds?
About half a morgan.
Yes.
I would say my body weight be a storm than that.
I'd probably be about 9, 10 if I eat on normal life.
So what do you have to do to hit that race?
I basically train myself not to eat bad things for the last 30 years.
Average day, I don't eat bread, I don't eat junk food.
I have a little snack in the morning and just try to have one meal in the evening.
Mainly protein, salads, fish, chicken.
I don't eat meat very often, but it depends on people.
But I won't be lying to you.
Sometimes I have a piece of chocolate or I probably have one bowl of pasta every three months.
I train every day to keep my weight down.
It's a lifestyle.
It's a lifestyle.
It's a big sacrifice.
It's a big sacrifice.
It's 37 years.
Yeah.
And it sounds funny, but even when I do have time off, I always go and rich for a chicken scissor salad.
You never see me eat a burger because I think my body now can't take it anymore.
Can you drink alcohol or not?
I like wine because I'm Italian, yes, but in moderation.
But like I said, my body is now used to not having those kind of rich foods.
I'll be honest with you, now then I'm finishing my career.
I'm finding it easier.
Maybe because I have a routine, I don't go out as much.
That's why California suits me.
I mean, everything shuts up here, eh?
It does, yeah.
But, you know, I guess 10 years ago and I wanted to go out every night, did not suited me.
You've talked before about being bulimic at various stages.
I did 10 years of being bulimic, yes.
I guess in my between my 30s and 40s.
And you would throw up before racism?
Yeah, before, you know, I would have a meal at night and throw up, or sometimes I would have a big breakfast and throw it up.
But I didn't do it because I wanted to do it.
I did it because the skill doesn't lie.
It was a way of lifestyle that I chose to have.
No different to, I guess, models have the same problems.
So teenage kids that were...
Well, the jockeys, I think you said you do.
You had to use lots of things.
Yeah, everything.
Diuretic.
I tried everything.
I tried diuretic pills, laxatives, made myself sick.
I remember driving a car with a sweatsuit, with the heaters on.
You try extreme things in your job because you have to do the weight.
I don't think anybody has done what I've done, and people still do it.
They actually choose that because they like it.
It's because they have to do the weight.
Simple as that.
I mean, it's a physically very hard sport.
Yes.
I don't think most people realize until they listen to someone like you talk about it just how physically demanding it is.
First of all, like we explained, is the diet.
Then you have to be ultra-fit because in the space of a day, you can ride six or eight races.
And you're handling a thousand pounds worth of absolute explosive flesh.
I mean, these horses are powerful and you have to control them.
And so that's physical demand, the diet, and then also the injuries.
You know what I mean?
When you do have the injuries, you have to cope with that.
So overall, I didn't sell it very well, right?
If you ever become a jockey.
Well, I think it's the reality of it, right?
That is the reality.
But, you know, we do it because we're addicted to it.
That feeling, I mean, I watched a tape last night preparing for this interview.
When you went through the card at Boyalaska and won all seven races, only time anyone's ever done that.
And the last race, you're on a horse where you don't know you've got a chance of winning.
What's the name of the horse?
Fujiama Crest.
Right.
And you're leading, but Pat Edry's coming behind you.
You can hear his whip.
I could hear him.
You think he's going to be?
He's going to be.
And somehow you get a second win with this horse and it wins.
That moment when you cross the line and you'd gone through the card at Boyalaska.
What is that like?
What's that feeling like?
You get that feeling of Basically, it's like everything, when you cross that line, everything just goes in slow motions.
You're just, you know, you're just galloping on top of this horse.
You've got time to look at a crowd, and everybody's going ballistic.
That only lasts for a few seconds, and you're back to real life.
And in a way, it's very selfish.
It's an emotion that nobody can ever explain.
I mean, like I said, never mind the dangers, but the crowd, the smell, the speed, the excitement, and you cross that line, and the euphoria what hits you is incredible.
And that's why you get addicted, and that's why I do it.
And is that why you can't really give it up?
Yes.
You know, obviously, it'd be much easier if I didn't get a chance to winning that many.
You don't need the money, right?
You've made enough money not to worry about that.
Yeah, but you do it because you love it, because otherwise it's hard to let go.
You know, I got great sympathies for other sportsmen that to stop.
I mean, I stopped for a week and I didn't like it.
So, you know, I know 53 sounds a big number, but I still feel that I'm still competitive, even though then I'm racing with jockeys 30 years younger than me.
Well, how many of them actually weren't even alive when you started?
I would say 70%.
Really?
It's crazy, right?
That's nuts.
It's crazy.
And how do they treat you?
It's funny because now we call it the jocks room.
I love this jockey room.
This is amazing, Miller.
This place is timeless.
You can come here at 16 or 53.
We're all the same age.
It's only when you step out of there that you feel your age.
But when you come here, it's great banter.
We all treat each other the same.
And if you do something wrong, everybody jumps on you.
What about this?
Because I always think in any sport, what differentiates the good from the great is a mental thing.
Absolutely, absolutely.
And that comes with experience.
Nobody is born with that great mindset.
Experiences of life, circumstances, emotions.
You know, when you're young, you have emotions, but you don't know how to deal with them, right?
So as you get older, you deal with emotions, with when you get butterflies, when you're nervous.
I'm no different 21, even in my age.
I still get a dry mouth, you know.
If I ride a favor to big race, I'm the first one to tell you.
Of course, I'm nervous, but nervous is good because now I know how to deal with it.
But you can't teach that.
You've got to learn it.
You've also got to have, in your sport in particular, a ferocious work ethic, right?
You have to.
You can't wing it, can you?
No, you can't.
Physically, you've got to be ultra fit.
You've got to put your own work.
But also, you've got to have that natural touch.
You can work as much as you can, but sometimes you've got to let things happen.
You've got to use your natural instincts.
You cannot predict how the race is going to go.
Or no striker can predict how he's going to score.
But you've got to use your natural ability.
And that's the difference from being a normal jockey to be a superstar.
And it applies the same to any other sport.
When you see geniuses like Messi, they do things that I don't think they...
Who do you most admire in other sports?
Oh, I admire all the sports.
Obviously, I'm a big football supporter.
I even admire the boxers, the worf acting they have to put up, the rugby players.
I don't know too much about cricket, but sometimes you see the World Cup this year was, I know Indie Gobiba was in an amazing game.
I like all these great sporting events.
And as you know, the Super Bowl is coming up.
Let's be another amazing event.
Surviving the Crash 00:03:47
You've had two moments in your life since you became a professional jockey, which could have ended everything.
One, your own fault, and I'll come to that in a moment.
The first one, though, was the plane crash, which is really one of those moments in your life where it was a light aircraft.
You were going from one race course to another.
The pilot very sadly died.
You were with your great friend and manager, Ray Cochran, at the time.
You both managed to get out just before it all went up in flames.
What do you remember about what happened that day?
What I remember about in a nutshell, you know, I can explain it, it'll take hours, but basically, on takeoff, something went wrong.
Plane went down.
What were you feeling as it went down?
What did I feel when I was down?
I looked at Ray and as I was staring as the ground was approaching, I didn't have time to scream.
And I was just disappointed that I was going to die.
I was thinking to myself, I'm 29 years old.
I just had the six-month child.
Why are you taking me now?
I was just disappointed.
Why now?
You know what I mean?
I've got so much to look forward in life.
That's all I felt.
You really thought you were about to die?
That's it.
No, two questions about it.
And some miracle.
What was the landing like?
Some miracle.
Well, the wing of the plane clipped this bank, what made the plane rotate.
Anyway, never mind that.
So it was just like an enormous speed in a washing machine in terms of what happened.
Can you remember that?
Yeah, I remember the impact.
And then obviously my skin on my forehead went all the way back.
So my blood was spoiling in front of my face.
And I was in a state of concussion, I guess, where I had 180 vision.
I could see the two planes, two engines on fire.
And I saw the pilot hench down in front.
But I couldn't move.
I was just paralyzed.
I just couldn't.
I knew that I had to get out, but I could not move.
And then Ray gave me a nudge, I was next to me, and he kind of woke me up.
And I realized that I broke my leg.
And when I went to get out, you know, it was a six-seater twin engine.
The plane was like in bits.
The door didn't exist anymore.
Luckily for us, the luggage door was just in the back of the seat, was half open.
And as I crawled out, I realized I had a broken leg.
Ray pushed me out.
Then he crawled out and he dragged me away from here to the end of the room.
And he was concerned that because so much fuel was on the plane.
And then he tried, he took his jacket off and he tried to go back for the pilot and the plane exploded.
And he was burned from head to toe.
And it was, you know, I couldn't, I could hear him yelling of anger because he couldn't get the pilot out.
So, you know, it was a trauma for me.
I lost my good friend, my pilot.
I was lucky twice, lucky to be alive, the crash, and lucky to be alive.
Then Ray got me out of that plane.
I could have been burned alive.
You know, it took me 17 years to get back on the plane.
Did it really?
Yeah, I mean, I was scarred.
And even now, when I get out of here.
How long between you getting out of the wreckage and it going up?
Was it?
Seconds.
Really?
Seconds.
So you were seconds from just...
Yeah.
I mean, imagine the two wings of plane full of fuel, seconds.
So Ray saved your life.
He did, yeah.
Yeah, and saved my life.
Family and Survival 00:15:30
And I owe my life.
And when he had big neck problems after the crash, so I told him to quit racing and he became my manager for 20 years.
Do you ever talk about it together?
Ray never talked about it.
We talked about it 20 years after.
Really?
Yeah.
We had a toast together.
Ray's a very deep man.
Yeah, never talked about it.
And I'm kind of an out-going person, always talked about it.
He kept it to himself.
And yeah, I mean, you can't explain what we've been through.
And there are ways to deal with it.
Perhaps I should have seeked help, but I had good family around me.
And, you know, well, here I am.
I shouldn't have been here.
There we go.
It's an extraordinary story.
Mad.
Mad.
Yeah, twice.
And I read that later you were thinking, you were 29, you were thinking, you'd always wanted, as an ambition, a young Italian to buy a Ferrari.
That's right.
And you just thought, well, what am I waiting for?
I could have died just then.
And you went and bought a Ferrari.
I said to myself, when I get to 30, if I've got enough money, I'll have to get a Ferrari, being Italian.
And at 29 and a half, after I got out of the hospital, as soon as I could walk a little bit, I went to get myself one.
I thought, you know, why?
And, you know, it did change my life.
And, you know, I would say I was, if that didn't happen, I probably would have been more successful in my career.
But, you know, I become...
Why?
Because you focus on your family.
Yeah, I was more focused and I was total vision.
But after that, family, I've got five children.
I juggle life and ride in and try to get the boss of both worlds.
And a lot of times you think, why should you get upset?
After what happened to me, a lot of things really don't really matter.
The other thing that could have ended everything for you professionally was when you tested positive for cocaine in 2012.
And you really struggled for quite a long time, 18 months, to get another good ride.
You thought maybe that's it.
That was a self-inflicted wound.
When you look back at that, I mean, obviously, fortunately, you had a sort of savior who came along and picked you up and said, right, I'm going to back you.
So basically, yeah, oh, look, I was a silly boy, you know, went out, took some drugs, got tested a week later, and it was in my system.
You know, I wasn't doing it because it was right.
It was a lot more recreational.
And yeah, quite rightly so.
I admitted it.
I got six months banned.
Took my family out of school.
We went around the world because obviously they were getting bullied.
They were getting picked out of school.
I had paparazzi outside my house.
How did that make you feel that you brought that on everyone?
Not great.
I think the biggest disappointment is telling my own parents.
How did they react?
Not great.
My dad being old-fashioned.
Kids, you know, they thought it was quite funny having paparazzi outside there to smuggle me in another car with a blanket.
We had a good time together around the world.
And I served my time.
I did my six months.
I came back and I thought, well, everything's going to be on Kidori, come back.
But obviously, nobody would touch me.
For some reason.
You said you felt like a leper.
Yeah, I mean, I took it.
You know, it took me, I just couldn't get a ride for about a year.
And then, yeah, I got to a point a year later, I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I thought, well, I've got no other choice.
I can't get any business, so maybe I have to look to do something else.
What would you have done if you hadn't done it?
Maybe going to the media.
But I wasn't ready to quit.
How were you feeling in that wilderness period?
It felt terrible.
I felt terrible.
And then the worst thing was, you know, even my wife started doubting me.
She said to me the famous word, show me how good you are.
Really?
One day, you know, we were struggling to pay bills and things were going bad and we all end up in an argument.
And then she turned around and said, well, you know, all your life you're telling me how good you are.
Look at us now.
We can't pay bills.
Just show me how good you are.
Wow, that's a moment.
And that was like, you know, somebody shot me in the heart, right?
Coming from my own wife.
And that really got me fired right up.
And I just said nothing and I put my head down and I persisted.
I carried on, carried on.
And 18 months later, a year later, I goes and wins the Epsom Derby on Golden Horn.
And we had a massive party at home, a few drinks with friends.
That feeling when he crossed the line and he won the day.
Oh, that was amazing, that feeling.
But the feeling was when I got home and we did the party.
Did you say to your wife, that's how good I am?
So basically, when everybody left the house and we were sitting there and I said, do you remember what you said to me, Erigo?
I said, that's it.
I said, don't ask me again.
I've done it now.
So that was it.
What did she say?
She said that at the time I needed something like that to make me believe or to give me a push.
And yeah, I mean, those famous words, show me how good you are, they're imprinted in my house, trust me.
That's an amazing story.
Mad.
But, you know, I think, you know, sometimes we all need someone to touch that nerve.
Yes.
You know, and...
Fire you up again.
And at the time, that's what I needed.
And, you know, a better person than your own wife who knows me so well to just, you know, she said, you know, I just needed to say that.
And it worked.
How important has she been, Catherine, to you?
Well, you know, she's been with me 30 years.
I mean, I feel sorry for her that I brought her through this crazy life.
You know, never mind self-inflicting stupid things that I've done, plane crashes, nearly killed myself, every day worried that I could end up in hospital when I ride.
You know, it must be a worry for a woman to marry somebody like me.
But she stuck with me.
We had some amazing times together.
And, you know, she's been so good to me.
Do you remember when you proposed to her?
I did, yeah.
I was in Scalini, one of my favorite Italian restaurants in London.
And yeah, it was a nice afternoon in London.
And I got her money.
And I remember everybody.
In the restaurant?
In the restaurant, everybody stood up and clapped.
Really?
Yeah, it was sweet.
Did you have a ring?
I did have the ring, yes, of course.
And also, I was told, because I'm not English, I was told that to go and see the father.
I went to see Caffy's dad the night before and I got a full lecture from his father.
How did you sell yourself to him?
Well, I said, listen, I came to ask the hand of your daughter.
And he sat me down and said, listen, he said, before you start this, she's going to finish her studies.
You're going to look after her.
Give me a proper washdown, proper good English washdown.
But yeah, great.
Yeah, I'm, you know, five kids.
What's the secret to a lasting marriage, do you think?
I think we don't live in each other's pocket.
She lets me get on with what I have to do.
She's been ultra busy with children.
And we meet in the middle.
We have our own things that we like.
And she just gives me free reins to be what I have to be.
I'm a showman of the races.
That's what I am.
And she just lets me do what I have to do.
It's very important to have that backing.
The other family that you've been very attached to is the royal family.
Yeah.
Who love you?
You love them.
Particularly, you had an amazing relationship with Her Majesty the Queen, the late, great Queen.
When did you first meet her?
Do you remember?
Of course I did.
Probably I know I knew over 30 years.
Back in the days when I was in my early 20s, I used to ride for a trainer called Ian Bolden.
And Ian Bolden had most of the Queen's horses.
And so that's how I met her.
And even 30 years that I met her, every time I met her, nervous wreck.
She had this whore, but she always had the ability to make you feel good.
So I'll tell you a funny story.
I won a big race 15 years ago.
And it was a Sunday.
So after racing, I had a big party.
It was a lovely spring day.
And I left all the doors open.
I had dogs.
And 200 people turned up.
We had an amazing party.
And I woke up the next day, and the house was destroyed full of bottles.
And I realized I lost one of my dogs, but she had a tag.
And it was a message on the answer machine.
And the message said, I we found your dog.
Please call us back on this number.
And the lady who found the dog was Caroline Warren, the Queen Racing Manager's wife.
So I ran Caroline and said, Hi, Caroline.
Sorry, but I heard that you have my dog.
Can I come and collect it?
And she said, Listen, if you come this evening, the Queen's coming to Newmarket to see the horses in the morning.
So you can say hi to the Queen and pick up the dog.
I mean, great idea.
So my wife's in the courtyard, she's cleaning the ponies.
And I opened the window, said, Honey, I found the dog.
And she said, Where is the dog?
Oh, the queen's got it.
She said, Don't be silly.
No, no, I swear the queen's got a gonna pick it up tonight.
So my daughter got all dressed up.
We went to get the dog, and there she was.
She was having a genius tonic next to the fire.
And I had a genius tonic with her, and she spent 20 minutes talking to my daughter about ponies and about school.
And then they let the dog out.
The dog ran towards me and peed in the Persian carpet.
In front of the Queen.
In front of the Queen.
Of John Warren.
And the Queen started laughing.
And John got really red-faced, got really upset.
And that moment I got escorted out, said, We're going to have dinner now.
You better go find her.
But the Queen was just creased laughing.
She was so funny to be around.
She also had an amazing knowledge of horse racing.
This wasn't someone who did it as like a little mild hobby.
She was 16 years old.
She knew everything, right?
Yes, six years.
Listen, it's incredible.
She wrote till she was in the 90s around Windsor Park.
And yeah, of course, she bred horses for six years.
You rode 50 winners for her.
Yeah, I wrote over 50 winners, yeah.
Amazing.
Did it always feel a little bit extra special when you won a race for the queen?
But it's, you know, when you got her colours in the peg like that, there was already excitement, you know, and you know, amazing.
She's a royal, you know.
I mean, she was racing.
A family started racing 300 years ago, King Charles the First, 350 years ago.
So racing is in the blood, and she had so much knowledge, and she loved that.
She absolutely loved racing.
Didn't you used to occasionally try a Cockney accent with her?
I tried, but it didn't go very well.
What was it you said to her?
Awa!
But I said it.
What did she say?
She said to me, I'm still here.
Usually she bow and say, Your Majesty, but I kind of froze and I went, Awai.
And she went, I'm still here.
But she was.
What would you talk about just generally when you saw her?
Everything.
She liked to hear the gossip about the inside gossip.
Ooh, you know, which train I was going out with.
Oh, yelled in the juicy gossip.
Yes.
Yeah.
Yeah, she was very interested about that.
And, you know, she just loved to be around racing people.
When she died, it was a huge moment for the country.
You're a kind of anglicized Italian.
You're Italian, but you've obviously spent a lot of time in England.
What was that moment like for you?
How did you hear that she died?
Well, I saw her, the last time I saw her was a royal ascot, and she obviously was quite frail.
She couldn't get up and down the stairs.
And they made the little room next to the paddock so she could watch the racing.
And to a point, I nearly took the horse inside the little booth to show the horse.
And yes, and you know, you always feel she's immortal.
And when it does happen, it's a shock.
You know, because I felt she was immortal.
And I remember we were meant to race at Doncaster the night and race got cancelled quite rightly.
So, yeah, and it just.
How did you hear?
I think we just heard on the radio, I think, or from a phone call.
And yeah, I felt quite emotional when I was.
Yeah, it just comes a shock, real shock.
Like I said, because I always felt that she was immortal.
And, you know, we lost a great person, great monarch.
Well, a great person.
And, you know, I'm the first one to say that I met her for 30 years.
You know, she really touched me the way she made you feel and the way she was.
And, you know, I'm not the only one.
I mean, I would say millions of people feel the same.
But actually, very few would have had the access you did.
Yeah.
Or that kind of relationship because she loved horse racing almost as much as anything else in her life.
Yeah, you know, I probably saw it at the side of her.
I mean, a lot of times I saw her in events.
And she would make a detour to find somebody into racing because she kind of finds that exciting.
I'm very lucky.
And also, the new king, you know, I never really met King's Charles like I did this year.
You know, he came Royal Ascol five days straight.
To a point on day five, I actually, I was invited to have lunch at Windsor Castle on day five.
And I did the ride on the carriage.
And he turned around to me and said, you know, my mom would have been proud to see me racing five days straight.
So I think we got him interested in Australia then.
And it's good because it's nice to keep the tradition.
And especially now that we are in this jockey's room and feel very proud that he's beginning to enjoy racing.
You recently went to the jungle in Australia.
From Underdog to Champion 00:10:54
I'm a celebrity.
You were the first to be kicked out of there, which I think is probably a blessing.
I don't know why you might have to.
Me too, me too.
At least you haven't got to stay in there with these.
Was it even remotely an enjoyable experience, or is it just as awful as I imagine it is?
Well, it was exactly what I thought.
You know, you've got to have a mindset.
And if you've got a chink in your arm or any weaknesses, it's going to find you.
You know, it's austere where we are.
You sleep in a bench.
You eat rice and beans.
The donkey or the toilet, how we used to call it, is all on the ground, more or less.
The humidity and the loneliness, you know, because you're there by yourself.
Okay, you're with other people, but you've got no watch, no contact from the outside world.
How did you feel about being the first to leave?
I don't really know what was televised on TV because I was there 24 hours and they cut it down into one hour.
And talking to the people outside, they were all interested in politics, Nigel Farage, or people arguing.
You know, I'm not a fighter, I'm a lover.
I had a great time in there, but they never air showed all the fun times that I had.
They were more interested about what Nigel Farage or Britney Spears' sister were going to say.
Of course, they weren't.
They didn't care what a jockey were going to say.
But it was an experience, and I've done it.
I've ticked that box, and that's it.
You also were named in the top six nominees for the sports person of the year on the BBC.
Are very prestigious.
You've won it many years ago.
To be in the top six when you're 53 years old of the top six sports people in Britain.
It's pretty incredible.
I think the only one born when I started riding was to abroad.
All the others weren't even born.
It's quite scary.
Yeah, amazing, obviously, this late in my career.
And also, racing is not a football, cricket, tennis, rugby sport followed or like the Olympics.
So it's great privilege for me to be nominated.
And also for my sport, you know, because I promote myself.
I also like to promote my sport.
How did you feel about a member of the women's Lioness's team winning, given they actually hadn't had a very good year?
They lost the World Cup.
They didn't qualify for the Olympics and they still won it, having won it the year before.
Maybe I should lose a bit more to get in the top three.
Should it only go to people who've actually won something that year?
Yeah, I saw your podcast, you did.
I agree with you, but even just through abroad, I mean, amazing.
It's last year.
He's won everything and he didn't win it either.
But it's what people watch or like.
I'm becoming, frankly, a country which has moved from celebrating great champions and winners to now we almost celebrate losing.
That's what it feels to me.
We've moved as a society from a really good...
The underdog.
Yeah, but I know it's not even the underdog.
Okay, you've lost.
We're going to give you a participation prize, right?
Well, perhaps, perhaps so.
You know, I must say all those six nominees, including myself, I mean, you know, we all had done something great.
But, you know, it's down to the public to decide.
And I'm not bitter, like I said, already been nominated.
I feel like a winner.
What's been the greatest accolade for you?
You've won so many things.
What's the one that meant the most to you?
Well, I'll be honest with you, my biggest achievement, obviously, winning seven races in a day.
But overall, you know, being on top of my game for 30 years, you know, I had enough to do it for 10.
So to do it for 30, I can sit here and be proud of it that, you know, I'm still competitive at 53.
How long do you think you can realistically continue for?
How long is a piece of string?
As long as it's...
It's going to be like Sinatra, just keep retiring and come on.
Yeah, no, listen, I'm not going to...
I feel like this is my last bit of my career here in California.
I enjoy it.
You know, if I can get one or two more years out of it, it'd be great.
But in my sport, you never know.
You know, fingers crossed, then I don't have any accident, and I'm still competitive enough.
And if I can get, like I said, another one or two years, it'd be great.
Do you like America?
Love it.
What do you like about it?
I feel a bit freer than I am in England.
I don't sound spoiled, but okay, I'm famous on the racetrack.
But I can step out, paint my toenails, or wear a mini skirt, nobody cares.
Are you doing that?
No, I don't do that.
I'm just telling you, that's the difference, right?
In England, or in Europe, you get judged what you wear or what you do.
You're always looking yourself behind.
That's the difference that I find a bit more relaxing.
You have a very competitive dad.
He was a champion jockey many times himself.
Gave you a hard time when you were.
He still is.
Still gives you a hard time.
82, he still is.
He still tells me what short I should have done, you know, which gap I should have took.
Really?
Obviously, my dad was a jockey, professional jockey.
Yeah, very successful.
Very successful, so I can't pull a wall over his eyes because exactly when I did write on the bottom of the business.
From what I've read, you were quite a sort of shy, retiring young kid, right?
You weren't this charismatic thunderball.
And your first race, your dad gave you a pony, you had a first race, you came last and you fell off after the finishing.
That's right.
When that happened, did you ever imagine in your wildest thoughts that you might end up as one of the great jockeys in history?
No, absolutely not.
I was quite nice, non-ambitious person.
Then my dad kicked me out of home.
He didn't kick me out.
He sent me to England.
But it was like being kicked out because I couldn't speak English.
I grew to a different country.
I was getting bullied.
The weather, the food, everything else was different.
But that dad manned me up.
And also, I didn't want to embarrass my dad, so it made me work extra hard.
And then the writing started.
I realized that, oh, maybe I'm quite good.
And then it snulled out of my control.
I started winning, and then from a little ball, I became a big bull, and then I became what I am now.
But I never started with the ambition that I was going to be great.
When you ride now, you just got.
There's a little part of you still trying to prove a point to your dad.
Oh, yes.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, my dad is.
I don't think my dad has ever said well done.
Really?
No.
No, no.
Never.
Never.
I don't think he has.
Even when you won the seven races.
Imagine as a grunt.
Even when you went through the card.
When I won the seventh race, I asked her, guess what?
I turned around to my mom and said, oh, I think the teletext is broken because Frankie's when I was seven.
He couldn't believe that.
He didn't believe it.
But did he congratulate me?
No, he didn't.
No, no, no.
He says, of course, I'm serious.
That's dad.
That's hilarious.
Yeah, he's like, yeah, doesn't.
If he says nothing, that means well done.
Are you like that with your kids?
Completely the opposite.
Spoil, I give him everything.
Yeah, complete the opposite to my dad.
But, you know, despite the way he is.
Do you think that work ethic, that will to win, the competitive spirit, all of that, do you think in the end you've got a lot of your success because of the way your dad works?
Yeah, absolutely.
That's why I'm...
I've stopped now asking him because I always end up arguing with him.
I says, Dad, you push me and you brainwash me to become a champion.
You know, what about, especially my sport, if I freed through my career, I would have broke my knee and stopped riding.
I would have felt inside, I would have felt a loser, you know, and he turns out, he says, well, I can't answer that.
Look, you're a champion.
He never gave a thought about something beyond your control that could happen.
But, you know, I...
But isn't that a champion mentality?
Yeah, but it probably is.
But, you know, I got to... some way got to thank him to make me think like that.
But it's something that I can't do to my children.
Maybe because I'm a new generation, maybe because I'm soft.
I just can't do it.
What was your mother?
What has she been like with you?
Sorry?
Has your mother been tough?
I'm a mum, she's like mothers, you know, loves me.
My dad's super tough.
What was your mother's proudest moment, do you think?
Maybe when you got the MBE from the Queen?
Listen, my mom, she's proud.
Everything that I did, she's a typical mumma.
She just wants to cuddle me and feed me.
My dad, look, my dad is proud too.
He obviously doesn't show it.
But like what you said at that point, if it wasn't for him pushing me, I would never be here because I didn't have it in me.
Have you pointed out to him that you've now continued for two years longer than him?
No, I do not rub it in.
Listen, no, the dad is 82.
Luckily, he's still with me.
His brain is good.
Obviously, he's a bit frail, but I guess I'm keeping him alive by him watching me still ride.
So it's good.
It's good.
A lovely story, Frankie, about you is the seventh ride you had at Askett when you went through the car.
You ended up keeping that horse as a pet.
So basically, Fujiama Crest also won the seventh.
He ended up going jump racing and I think he had a pelvis injury.
So it was going to end up, God knows.
So I rang the trainer and I said, could I please buy of him?
And I took him home and became my pet for 20 years.
He lived in the field.
And he was the horse who made me famous.
He was the horse who won the seventh race.
And I gave him a good life until the very end.
And he passed away one day in the field.
He didn't suffer.
He just, you know, he lived a ripe old age till he was about 25.
That's a lovely story.
Well, I owe it to him, you know, he made me famous.
Finally, if I could have the power to let you relive any race in your entire career on any horse.
Again, right now, you can do it right out on that track.
Which one would you choose?
My Famous Horse 00:01:12
Very hard to say.
You only have one.
I would say because it's fresh in my mind, this year's champion stakes.
My everlast ride in England on my retirement day, the day that the Queen unveiled my statue win the champion stakes.
I couldn't wrote it.
I don't think not even Hollywood could have written the finale.
So I would say that, Pierce.
How would you like to be remembered?
If you could write your own tombstone.
Here lies Frankie DiTorre.
He.
I've had fun along the way.
And yeah, I was, you know, I've did my job with a smile in my face.
And we're both Arsenal fans.
Absolutely.
We're going through a very tough period.
I know.
I can't fix that.
We haven't won the Premier League since 2004.
I know.
You're a miracle worker.
Do you see any prospect we can do it this year?
Yeah, we still got three weeks.
If we buy a nice centre-forward thing, we can.
We've got to have a winner, a striker.
Come on.
A killer.
Come on.
Three weeks left.
Come on.
You've got plenty of time to buy one.
Frankie, great to see you in Hollywood.
Thank you, Piers.
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