Meet ‘subsequent Frankie Dettori’ jockey who served cocaine ban however refused to ‘disappear’

Italian jockey Marco Ghiani has many of the attributes to fill the void left by the retirement of Frankie Dettori.

Growing up in Sardinia he was a showman, performing on horseback in the island’s famous Sa Sartiglia festival. Like the iconic Dettori, he moved to Britain aged 16, and with little command of English, to work for legendary Newmarket trainer Luca Cumani.

And eight years since making his debut, he has been crowned champion apprentice in 2021, booted home 433 winners of more than £5million in prize-money, ridden winners at Royal Ascot, and landed the Italian Derby, among his proudest achievements to date. All at the age of just 27.

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He has a long way to go to have a record that compares with Dettori’s 35 year haul of 3,359 British wins, 81 at Royal Ascot, and an unprecedented six successes in the Prix de ‘l’Arc de Triomphe, the richest race in Europe.

Since Cumani retired, Ghiani’s allegiances are to another trainer Marco Botti, in a much reduced Italian racing community..

“I am the only one in the weighing room,” he says. “There are no Italians anymore. Andrea Atzeni is in Hong Kong, Frankie retired and Stefano Cherchi unfortunately passed away two years ago. What we have in common is we are all Sardinians.”

He continues: “Frankie would give me advice but he had more impact on me as a figure. He was famous so I always looked up to him and the first horse that got me interested in racing was Golden Horn when he won the Derby and the Arc. He rode so many great horses and was such a great jockey.”

Ghiani grew up in Oristano, Sardinia where his family runs a successful pizza restaurant, L’Angelo Del Gusto.

“It means the corner of taste,” he explains. “I believe that’s where I would still be if I hadn’t become a jockey. My sister works there and I would have followed the same steps.

“For me it was too hot next to the pizza oven in the summer! I prefer riding and wanted to be outside rather than inside.”

In the outdoors on his pony, Ghiani took part in Sardinia’s ancient equestrian festival, at which 120 masked horsemen would perform acrobatic stunts and jousts, until he had an accident.

“I had a fall with my pony in my events and the nine-time Italian champion jockey Dario Vargiu messaged me because he used to do the same events,” he says.

“I looked up who he was and what he did and thought it looked quite cool so when he came to race in Sardinia, I watched his races. It gave me an electric shock to the system every time he came by the line. I thought that is what I wanted to do.”

Ghiani was accepted at the British Racing School, performing well in his fitness tests but with a lot of work to do on his English.

He joined Cumani in Newmarket but early on in his stay he decided he had had enough and packed his bags to go home.

“Everyone was saying how useless I was,” he says. “I was feeling a bit bullied and taken advantage of and people weren’t being very nice. They brainwashed me into thinking I wasn’t good enough.

“Luca talked me out of it and for that I am very grateful. At this stage I hadn’t even got my licence. It was about two years in. I’m so glad he talked me out of it.”

He continues: “There is still a lot of hate from punters on social media which doesn’t help, but there is lots of support.

“What is happening on social media is sad because we are encouraged to use it to promote racing. It can have a bad influence on young kids.”

In 2022 Ghiani ‘apologised unreservedly’ after testing positive for cocaine. He admitted taking the drug on two occasions and served a six-month ban.

“I rolled my sleeves up and got to work,” he says. “I had to. I could have easily disappeared off the face of the earth. I am not that kind of person. I had to prove I was just as good even after making mistakes.”

This year there is plenty to look forward to, particularly through his association with 12-time winner Quinault and Group 3 winner Azleet in the sprinting division.

“My goals are to ride as many winners as possible and try to reach the hundred again,” says Ghiani. “My career is going well and hopefully in another year or two I could be in the top flight.

“I think I am a couple of years away from that. I have no Group 1 yet. We’ll see if we can do it.”