As the Kentucky Derby 2024 is just three days away, excitement is at an all-time high in the horse racing world. The first leg of the prestigious Triple Crown is set to attract celebrities and the crème de la crème of the horse racing community. Among them is Frankie Dettori, the renowned Italian jockey whose iconic career spans over 35 years.

A three-time British flat racing champion, Jockey, Dettori, is set to make his mark again at Churchill Downs, this time aboard Danny Gargan-trained gelding, Society Man, from stall 20. This will mark Dettori’s second appearance at the Kentucky Derby, with his last race resulting in a sixth-place finish in 2000. However, this year’s event holds special significance for Dettori, as it marks his return to the Derby 24 years after a life-altering plane crash in 2000.

Frankie Dettori narrowly escaped death shortly after the 2000 Kentucky Derby

In a YouTube video posted by Sky News Australia, Frankie Dettori reflected on a plane crash he survived with his friend and manager, Ray Cochrane, to host Piers Morgan. On June 1, 2000, shortly after the Kentucky Derby, Frankie Dettori and Ray Cochrane boarded a light aircraft departing from Newmarket Racecourse in Suffolk, England. They were going from one racecourse to another, a routine trip they had made many times before. Little did they know that this journey would become one of the most pivotal moments of their lives. As the plane took off, something went wrong.

In the blink of an eye, the plane went down. Frankie and Ray found themselves hurtling towards the ground, their lives hanging in the balance. “I didn’t have time to scream and I was just disappointed that I was going to die,” Frankie recalled. “I was thinking to myself, ‘I’m 29 years old; I just had a six-month-old child; why are you taking me now?'” The impact was brutal. Frankie’s forehead was cut open, blood pouring in front of his eyes. He was in a state of shock, unable to move.

He even recalled how he had 180-degree vision and remembered he could see the two engines on fire and the pilot slumped in front of him, but he couldn’t move. Ray, however, sprang into action. Despite his injuries, with incredible bravery, Ray managed to pull Frankie from the wreckage, dragging him to safety just seconds before the plane exploded into flames. But the ordeal was far from over.

Ray, consumed by the thought that the pilot was still trapped inside the burning wreckage, attempted to go back and save him. However, in a heartbreaking turn of events, the plane exploded once again, leaving the pilot behind in flames. “He couldn’t get the pilot,” Frankie recounted. Despite their miraculous escape, the trauma of the crash lingered. Frankie couldn’t shake the memories; it would be 17 long years before he could board a plane again. The crash changed everything for Frankie.

How did the crash change his life?

Frankie Dettori shared with Piers Morgan that the incident made him reevaluate his priorities, focusing more on his family and less on his racing career. “If that didn’t happen, I probably would have been more successful in my career,” he admitted. “I became wiser because I spent more time with family.”

Frankie’s brush with death also led him to fulfill a lifelong dream. Just six months after the crash, with a newfound appreciation for life, he bought himself a Ferrari. “Why wait?” he reasoned. As we reflect on this tragedy, it becomes clear how one moment can profoundly change a person’s life. As Dettori prepares to return to the Kentucky Derby 24 years after this incident, fans eagerly await his comeback.