Bronze Frankie Dettori statue worth £18,500 stolen in smash and grab on London gallery

The sculpture by Tristram Lewis of the superstar jockey riding champion stayer Stradivarius was specially commissioned for his last time riding successful Britain

A bronze statue of superstar jockey Frankie Dettori has been stolen successful a smash and drawback raid connected a London gallery.

The Tristram Lewis sculpture depicting Dettori sat connected three-time Ascot Gold Cup victor Stradivarius was specially commissioned erstwhile the rider announced helium was to discontinue the athletics successful Britain past year. It was called ‘Frankie Dettori riding Stradivarius - Going retired astatine Ascot’.

The lifesize mentation was unveiled by Queen Camilla connected Dettori's last time successful the saddle, earlier helium relocated to the US, connected British Champions Day astatine Ascot 12 months ago.

And a quarter-lifesize edition, astir 2 feet successful height, was connected show successful the beforehand model of the Haynes Fine Art Gallery successful Belgravia. London, with an asking terms of £18,500.

However it was stolen past Thursday nighttime erstwhile a thief broke into the premises and removed the figure, which was captured connected CCTV.

Gallery proprietor Tony Haynes said: “It’s a beauteous sculpture which was positioned centre and beforehand of the main model of our London assemblage successful the Pimlico Road.

“It was astir blatant due to the fact that determination are restaurants and different places nearby. They were stood determination for a bully fractional hr waiting for determination to beryllium nary people.

“It was a forced introduction done a solid sheet connected the beforehand door. It’s dense but he’s virtually forced his mode successful and gone done small doors to beryllium capable to lever it up and transportation it out.

“He came successful and went near and near immediately. There was thing other helium was looking at. They walked consecutive past a Warhol worthy £125,000. This was precise overmuch a targeted theft."

Haynes said the suspect, who wore a bluish apical and a shot cap, had his caput down arsenic helium entered the gallery.

“Interestingly helium has gone consecutive for the doorway to get retired and past he’s returned for the statement tag. I deliberation it’s been taken with a lawsuit successful caput oregon adjacent stolen to order.

“It had been successful the model for 3 oregon 4 weeks but everything we person enactment successful that presumption has sold.”

Haynes said officers from the Metropolitan Police arrived wrong 20 minutes to unafraid the spot and returned the adjacent time to surface the assemblage for forensic evidence.

“They reviewed the CCTV and took prints from everyplace that the hands were enactment and they managed to retrieve hairsbreadth samples arsenic well,” helium said.

“There is simply a partial viewing of the face. There was idiosyncratic extracurricular who was keeping watch. A crisp entity was utilized to get done the laminated glass.”

He added: ““We would precise overmuch similar this back. We are not funny successful insurance. The adjacent unfortunate is the idiosyncratic who is going to bargain it.”