Frankie Dettori memorabilia to go under the hammer

His career in the saddle spanned five decades, but one of Newmarket's most famous and loved residents is getting ready to leave the area.

And, as Frankie and his wife get ready to move from their house near Six Mile Bottom, he's putting no fewer than 126 personal items up for auction.

His story is a fascinating one; leaving school at 13, he came to Newmarket to work at the famous yard of Luca Cumani. He briefly returned to Italy to ride his first winner in Turin at the age of just 15, before riding his first winner in the UK at Goodwood in the summer of 1987. He has lived in the area ever since.

Now, as he gets ready to retire from horseracing later this year, he's "scaling down" - and selling items including his jockey scales, saddles and boots.

The sale, run by local auctioneers Cheffins, is being described as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own prizes and memorabilia from one of the greatest sports personalities worldwide".

Among the lots is Dettori's trophy from his Epsom Oaks win in June of this year.  It could be his last win in a classic race, although he's due to ride in the St Leger later this year.

Dettori said he and his wife Catherine would be moving away from Newmarket, where he has lived for nearly 40 years, as their children have all "branched out".

"I've got so much stuff, we thought we might as well just auction it," he said.

"We didn't realise how much accumulated in so many years.

"I tried to keep something that means something to me, some of the important stuff like the Derby and things like that, but the rest is going to go up in auction."

The auction is a timed, online sale which concludes on the 18th of July.