Top jockey Frankie Dettori is working with tax authorities after losing anonymity in a dispute

LONDON – Top Italian jockey Frankie Dettori said he is “working closely” with British tax authorities after losing a challenge to avoid being named publicly in a tax dispute.

Dettori was involved in a legal dispute with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which denied him some income tax deductions.

The British Press Agency reported that a judge ruled in 2022 that Dettori could remain anonymous during the case. The knight was named in a court ruling after losing a bid to continue suppressing the publication of his name.

The PA news agency was among the media outlets that challenged Dettori’s right to anonymity and published a statement from him saying he had appointed new advisers to “unravel the mess he has been put into”.

“A few years ago, I engaged the services of specialized professional tax advisors to take care of my financial affairs and those of my family,” Dettori said in the statement. “A structure has been set up and I am told it has been approved by HMRC.

“Years later, HMRC are now challenging this structure. My former advisers have since been dismissed.

Dettori added that his new advisers and management team are “also working closely with HMRC to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”

Howie Ling McCarthy, a lawyer who works for HMRC, said the fact that Dettori “may be in the public eye and may prefer the public not to know about his affairs does not justify restricting the principle of open justice,” the PA said.

Dettori announced in December 2022 that he would retire at the end of the 2023 season, but he reversed this decision and moved to compete in the United States.