LONDON, England (CNN) -- "She was lovely, her name was Sylvia, and that's how the dream started." At the age of ten, Frankie Dettori rides his first public race on the back of Sylvia: "She was lovely." Sylvia was the beloved, blonde-maned pony who carried a young Frankie Dettori past the post in his first public race. Her picture is now carefully filed away in the vast library of Dettori family photos. The date's embossed on the leather album cover: June 17, 1981. He was ten. They came last. Frankie Dettori has come a long way since following the pack as a schoolboy in a bright yellow and blue helmet and a red striped shirt at home in Sardinia.
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Superstar jockey Frankie Dettori rode first public race on "Sylvia", aged 10
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Father sent him to Britain to work as an apprentice for trainers Luca Cumani
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Famed sealed with "Magnificent 7" victory at Ascot, September 1996
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Fought back after plane crash to win all major races, including Derby in 2007
Dettori says, of the race that's considered one of the highlights of the @placeholder racing calendar.