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It has been a thrilling, magnificent and sometimes rocky path, but this time, it appears the famed jockey's decision is final. The most celebrated rider over the last 40 years is set to head into retirement following the primary events during the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar on Saturday, where he has three chances to secure one last top-tier victory to nearly 300 already in his record. Racing may not witness a career like his ever again.

An Iconic Figure

Alongside Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck over the past half-century, Frankie Dettori is recognized by pretty much everyone, no surname required. People know who he is, even if they have no interest at all in his profession. In today's world that has been fragmented by social media and the internet, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality who will ever experience such immediate name-recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in the sport, after all, dates back to an era when A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million audience members, and his three-year role as a team captain was sufficient to cement him as the lively, irrepressible face of the sport. His final year on the program was 2004, which was also the time when he won the top jockey award for the third and final time. As far as many in the UK, though, he has probably been the top jockey in most years since.

A Hard-Earned Fame

It is, in many ways, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for events both on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly pushed Dettori onto the front pages, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to ride all seven winners that day.

In June 2000, he was pulled from a fiery crash of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that too was front-page news.

While everyone admires a winner, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a return all the more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the finish for many riders in their forties, more than enough time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, however, his 2012 suspension was a bridge to a renewed association with trainer John Gosden at Newmarket, and a new series of winners and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The celebrated successes and setbacks have been a crucial element of Dettori’s story, up to and including the embarrassing confession in March that he filed for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and failed, to keep confidential.

There have been numerous turns in his story, indeed, that it's easy to overlook that absent his tremendous, generational talent, there would have been no narrative whatsoever.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was clear from the start as a young apprentice that he had a natural connection with the horses when Dettori was in the saddle.

Steeds performed for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also announced his emergence at the highest level with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge without a loss only six years later. The famous flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the buzz from riding a big-race winner has always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of sensing, with something akin to foresight, where to position, when to make a move and where the gaps will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the public face of British racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, regardless if Dettori fulfils his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, something that he always wanted to do”. This is not, in fact, an ambition that he has mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to accept the tax advice that resulted in his dispute with HMRC indicates that Dettori will not end his career with enough money saved up to kick back and take things easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has already been appointed to a new position as a “global ambassador” with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the main reason for his exit now, as well as being able to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, frequently. I appreciate the structure – it's a youthful team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When you talk about great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelés and people like that, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you know that he has influenced on so many lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he’s here to actually work and he will working with us very closely. He will be involved in every area of our business though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Reality TV is another possibility, although earlier outings on Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity often showed a more somber aspect of his personality, beneath the cheerful public persona. In both programs, he was an early casualty due to viewer votes.

It's possible that Dettori himself does not really know what he will do and how he will fill his time after his race-riding days ends. And for another one more day, he stays an elite professional jockey, focused on three rides at one of the most prestigious and glamorous events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old mare named Argine will be Dettori’s final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event where he achieved his first Breeders’ Cup success back in 1994. Her form at home indicates that she needs to find to figure, but few riders in history have ever risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?