The Frankie Factor: Brits rewarded for following Dettori to Gold Cup win on Courage Mon Ami

London – 23rd June 2023: As the curtain slowly draws to a close on the illustrious career of Frankie Dettori at the end of the flat racing season, punters have been counting on Dettori to bow out in style at Royal Ascot this week.

Entain, the global sports betting, gaming, and interactive entertainment group, reveals that despite a slow start to the meeting, horses ridden by Dettori were the most popular with fans. The betting trends from the first three days of Royal Ascot show how the ‘Frankie Factor’ has captured the imagination of the public.

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In total, over the opening three days of Ascot, Dettori has taken 11% of the volume of single bets (vs. Moore at 10% and Buick at 8%) and featured in 38% of all multiple bets[1] – as punters back him to sign off the meeting in style. Looking at headline statistics from the three days individually so far:

On Day 1 of Royal Ascot, despite being a disappointing day for Dettori, the ‘Frankie Factor’ was in full force, with his mounts attracting early favouritism with Inspiral, the eventual second in the race, being the most bet on horse, even though Modern Games began the race as the favourite. Inspiral consisted of 23% of single bets taken in the Queen Anne Stakes (vs. Lusail ridden by Moore at 2%, and Modern Games ridden by Buick at 16%)[2].

Dettori rode his first winner, Gregory, on Day 2, which was one of the most well-backed runners of the day. Despite only running in four races that day, the “Frankie Factor” pulled in the punters, where Dettori featured in 38% volume of all multiple bets[3].

On Day 3, we saw Dettori cement his legendary status where he rode Courage Mon Ami at 15-2 in the Gold Cup victory. Whilst his second win of the festival, this one will likely live longer in the memories of punters, with Courage Mon Ami the third highest backed horse across all races[4]. It was a packed day of riding, with the three top jockeys bringing in a significant volume of single bets between them. Dettori was 12% of the volume, with Moore following closely behind at 9% and Buick at 5%[5].

In September 1996, almost 27 years ago, Dettori became the first and only jockey to win all seven races on the same day at Champions Day Ascot, ‘the magnificent seven’, including the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Defying odds of over 25,000 to 1, this remarkable achievement lit the flame for the ‘Frankie Factor’. Dettori has ridden a total of 77 winners at Royal Ascot.

Dominic Grounsell, Chief Commercial Officer, Entain, commented: “There has been even more of a buzz around Frankie Dettori since the beginning of the flat season. The world is watching his final season as a professional jockey to see if he can finish in style.

“Our customers have been weighing in on him in all the big meets so far this year, and Royal Ascot has been no different. He brings excitement, swagger and a huge following wherever he races, and racing will lose one of its most famous faces and infectious characters this year. Let’s enjoy the final few months of Frankie Dettori racing on our screens and follow how the Frankie Factor continues to drive fan favourites up and down racecourses this summer.”

Dettori has name recognition inside and outside of the horse racing community, further cemented by favouritism to claim this year’s Sports Personality of the Year Award. Unlike many jockeys, he has become a household name and fan favourite for the public having a flutter on the big summer meets, like the Epsom Derby, 1000/2000 Guineas and Royal Ascot. His infectious personality has brought many moments of excitement to the industry during his glittering 36-year career and to many pundits and experts, he will be a huge miss to racing in the UK following retirement.