Cochrane: The hardest part is coming up for Frankie

Retirement when it comes will not be an easy thing to get used to.

Frankie Dettori’s long-time agent and close friend Ray Cochrane believes the popular Italian is approaching the “hardest bit of his life” after announcing his glittering riding career will come to an end next year.

Cochrane – who won the Derby in 1988 aboard Kahyasi – retired from the saddle in 2000 due to back problems, five months after being involved in a light aircraft crash that tragically claimed the life of pilot Patrick Mackey and led to Cochrane receiving the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery for pulling Dettori from the wreckage.

Cochrane went on to spend 20 years as Dettori’s agent before calling it a day in 2020 and has been there for most the ups and the downs the legendary jockey has been through in and out of the saddle.

“All good things come to an end, I’m afraid. He’s 52 and he’s had a cracking innings,” said Cochrane.

The crash scene at Newmarket
The crash scene at Newmarket (Matthew Fearn/PA)

“He’s had a hell of a career. I remember him turning up as a scrawny kid at Luca’s (Cumani) riding round the barn. The horse he was on looked an absolute mess, but he looked the part!

“Frankie thinks it’ll be easy giving up, but it won’t – this will be the hardest bit of his life coming up.

“I remember when I stopped I couldn’t get it out of my system. Every morning my feet were moving and I was thinking ‘I’ve got somewhere to go’. When you’re riding you’re either hitting the M25 to London or heading up the A1 and it took me two years to get that out of my system.

“Frankie has been doing it for over 30 years and not going racing and having something to do will be very tough. It was tough for me and it has been a few other people.”

Identifying just one highlight from Dettori’s career is an almost impossible task, but Cochrane points to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe success of the John Gosden-trained Golden Horn in 2015 as particularly special.

He added: “The day that always sticks out to me was Golden Horn in the Arc – that was a fantastic day.

“Frankie rang me on the Friday when the draw came out and said ‘Oh Ray, we’re drawn on the outside’ (14 of 17).

“But he then rang me back 10 minutes later and said ‘it’s not so bad you know Ray, he’s a big lump who can get left at the start and if I was down on the inside I’d be knackered. From where I am I can jump out and if he gets left it isn’t going to make no difference’.

“He said ‘if he hits the gates I’m away, I can stride up the outside and slot in wherever I want to’ and it was absolutely word perfect. It was amazing.”

Frankie Dettori winning the Derby on Golden Horn
Frankie Dettori winning the Derby on Golden Horn (David Davies/PA)

Golden Horn was one of two Derby winners Dettori has enjoyed, the first being Peter Chapple-Hyam’s Authorized in 2007 at his 15th attempt.

Cochrane said: “It took him a wee while!

“Obviously the two Derby winners were absolutely fantastic, one for Peter Chapple-Hyam who is a great friend and then he bagged one for John too, which was brilliant.”

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