( CNN ) -- Champion jockey Frankie Dettori has vowed to `` rebuild his reputation '' after accepting a six-month suspension , having been found guilty of using a banned substance . Dettori , who will be 42 this month , tested positive in France on September 16 for a drug that has widely reported by British media to have been cocaine . He was cautioned by police for possession of the drug in 1993 . France Galop , the country 's horse racing ruling body , announced on Wednesday that the Italian will be banned from November 20 to May 19 , though it did not reveal the substance in question . It has asked other horse racing authorities around the world to enforce its decision . `` For similar cases , France Galop has never revealed the substances found and will therefore not reveal the substance for this specific case , '' spokesman Julien Pescatore said . Dettori 's legal representative Christopher Stewart-Moore said the jockey had accepted the punishment . `` He also accepts that he has let down the sport he loves and all those associated with it , as well as the wider public , '' Stewart-Moore said in a statement . `` But most of all , and this is his greatest regret , he has let down his wife and children . '' Dettori , who has five children with wife Catherine , is one of the world 's most successful jockeys . He is most famous for riding seven successive winners in one meeting at prestigious English course Ascot in 1996 , and has more than 500 Group-level victories in his career so far . He is a household name in Britain , where one bookmaker announced odds of his chances of success in next year 's premier meetings immediately after the French authority 's decision was announced . Dettori revealed in October that he will be ending his fulltime role at the Godolphin stable next year , and last month news broke about his positive test during a race meeting at the Longchamps course in Paris . `` Racing has been good to Frankie and he knows that his privileged position brings with it responsibility , '' Stewart-Moore said . `` For this reason he is determined to rebuild his reputation when he returns to the saddle . '' France Galop said Dettori will have to undergo further drug testing from April 20 before he is allowed to return to racing . Stewart-Moore said the three-time British champion , who has admitted taking weight-loss drugs in the past , is taking full responsibility for the failed test . `` He is clear that the responsibility for his current situation lies squarely with him , '' Stewart-Moore said . `` From the start of France Galop 's inquiry he has acknowledged to them he has made a mistake and that the fault was his . `` Finally , he has asked me to thank everyone for the many messages of support he and his family have received . '' The British Professional Jockeys ' Association said it would support Dettori 's rehabilitation , but denied there was a widespread problem of drug use among its members . `` From 2,607 in-competition urine tests and 3,697 breath tests since 2005 , there is no evidence to suggest that there is a fundamental drug problem with jockeys , '' PJA chief executive Paul Struthers said . `` 0.3 % of urine tests were positive for drugs and 0.2 % of both urine and breath tests were positive for alcohol . '' The PJA said from 2005-11 it had recorded four positive tests for cocaine , one for cannabis and two for diuretics ( water shedding drugs ) -- both of which were for amateur riders . One alcohol positive was above the drink driving limit , and five were below . Struthers said the PJA was aiming to raise awareness about the issue of jockeys ' mental wellbeing . `` As well as all the normal pressures that other sportsmen and women have to contend with , unlike many other sports jockeys have the added pressures of massively reduced calorific intake and are constantly at very real risk of serious injury , '' he said . `` When it comes to mental wellbeing , racing perhaps lags behind other sports particularly when it comes to raising awareness of the issues and the support that is available , and it is overdue that more was done . ''
Italian racing authority bans Dettori for May over positive drug test . Jockey accepts the decision and vows to rebuild his reputation when he returns . Father of five regrets having let down his family and fans , Frankie Dettori 's lawyer says . He will have to undergo further testing before he can start racing again in six months .