FRANKIE DETTORI apologised to the nation and admitted he made a mistake during an awkward BBC Sports Personality of the Year interview.
The legendary jockey, 53, failed to make the top three in the public vote as England women’s goalkeeper Mary Earps won.
PADettori made a shock retirement U-turn after an amazing year in the saddle[/caption]
Dettori and golfer Rory McIlroy both snubbed the glitzy bash – but the jockey used his interview to address his retirement U-turn.
Almost a year ago to the day Dettori – who was the first person voted out of I’m a Celeb – announced live on ITV that this would be his final season in the saddle.
But after a remarkable year in which he won the 2000 Guineas, Oaks and Ascot Gold Cup, he decided in October to keep going.
Racetracks had made murals dedicated to Dettori and he had a statue unveiled at Ascot racecourse.
The public thought the last time they saw him would be on his amazing last-to-first ride in the Champion Stakes on October 21.
But now there is very real prospect of him racing at next year’s Royal Ascot – so long as he can make it back from his new home in the States in time.
Dettori used his SPOTY interview to address his U-turn and apologise for his change of heart.
He said: “At the beginning of the season, I thought, ‘well, I’m 52 and I want to stop at the top’.
“I watched Cristiano Ronaldo two years ago playing for Portugal in the World Cup and he was on the bench.
“I didn’t want to stop my career being on the bench.
“I thought when I called it a day things would ease off and I’d walk away into the sunset and say my last farewell to everyone. But the opposite happened.
“Wherever I went I kept on winning. I did my farewells everywhere in Europe and I kept on winning and winning.
“I got to August thinking, ‘oh my God, am I doing the right thing here?’
“But unfortunately I’d told everyone I was quitting, so I’d kind of got myself snookered in the corner.
“I thought, ‘well, I can’t really carry on in England, because they organised so many farewell tours for me and a statue at Ascot’.
“But I’ve still got to get it out of my system, so my only option was emigrating to the USA, because it’s my last chance to perhaps continue what I love until one day I wake up and say, ‘enough is enough’.
“At the moment, because I’m still winning and the adrenaline is still there, the public still follow me.
“I’m sorry everyone, I made a mistake, I shouldn’t have said I was going to retire.”
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