Leap of Faith

Harper Collins Publishers, 2021. Good secondhand condition.

When Lanfranco ?Frankie? Dettori arrived on British shores in 1985, aged just 14, he couldn?t speak a word of English. Having left school just a year earlier and following in the footsteps of his father, he was eager to become a stable boy and apprentice jockey, willing to do everything it took to make it. This was his first, but certainly not his last, leap of faith.

Nearly 25 years later, and having won the Longines World?s Best Jockey for three consecutive years running, Frankie has demonstrated an unparalled level of longevity at the pinnacle of his sport. But his story is not simply one of uninterrupted success, but also of personal anguish, recovery and restoration ? both in and out of the saddle.

Now, Frankie compellingly reveals the lows to his highs; the plane crash that nearly killed him, the drugs ban that nearly made him quit the sport, and the acrimonious split from Godolphin that threatened his future. But Leap of Faith is also a story of love ? for the sport he continues to dominate to this day, the great horses of his era (Stradivarius, Golden Horn, and of course Enable), and most importantly for his family, who have supported him every step of the way.

Heartfelt and poignant, this is not simply a memoir, but a celebration of perseverance and defying the odds.