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The journey has been an exhilarating, glorious and sometimes bumpy ride, yet now, it appears Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most celebrated jockey of the past 40 years is set to enter retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three chances to secure one last Grade One winner to nearly 300 on his record already. The sport might not witness a career quite like it again.

An Iconic Figure

Alongside racing great Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck over the past half-century, “Frankie” registers with almost everybody, no surname required. The public knows his identity, even if they have absolutely no interest in what he does. In a world which has become divided by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori may well be the final equestrian personality that will ever experience such immediate name-recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

His entire career in the sport, in fact, goes back to an era when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million viewers, and his three-year role as a team captain was more than enough to cement him as the lively, irrepressible face of the sport. His last year on the show came in 2004, that was also the year 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 champion for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

This is, in many respects, a hard-won celebrity, a mixed blessing for incidents both on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly propelled Dettori into the headlines, ever since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame massive 25,000-1 odds to win all seven races that day.

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from the burning wreckage of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When he finally ended his quest for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became headline news.

While everyone admires a champion, they frequently adore an imperfect hero and a comeback even more. A six-month ban after a failed drug test for cocaine would have been the finish for most jockeys in their forties, more than enough time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, however, suspension in December 2012 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.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and lows were an essential part of Dettori’s story, right up until the embarrassing confession in March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities regarding unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep confidential.

There were so many twists in his story, indeed, that it can be easy to forget that without Dettori’s immense, generational talent, there would be no narrative whatsoever.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was evident from the start as a young apprentice that there was a natural connection with the horses when Dettori was on board.

Horses ran for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in a season, and also announced his emergence among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge without a loss just six years later. His iconic flying dismount, copied from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the thrill from winning major races has never left him. Neither has the talent of sensing, with almost foresight, where to sit, when to strike and where the gaps will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what now for the recognizable figure of British racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, whether or not Dettori pursues his apparent desire to accept some mounts in South America, which is something I’ve always wanted to do”. It is not, after all, a goal that he had mentioned until now.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that led to his tax issues indicates that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds in the bank to relax and take it easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s burgeoning Amo Racing operation. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman last Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, along with the chance to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances don’t come along, very often. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian personally, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” he stated. “When discussing great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelés and similar figures, Frankie represents that for horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he’s made a big impact on so many lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he's here to work and he will be collaborate with us closely. He will participate in every area of our operations though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Reality TV are another option, although earlier outings on Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity often showed a more somber aspect of his personality, behind the ebullient public image. On both shows, he was an early exit due to viewer votes.

It's possible that Dettori personally is unsure what he'll do and how he will fill his time once his race-riding days are over. And for another 24 hours at least, he stays a top-level professional jockey, focused on three mounts at one of the globe's prestigious and dazzling events in the calendar.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly called Argine will be his last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event in which he registered his initial Breeders’ Cup win in 1994. Her form at home in Japan suggests that she needs to find to figure, yet few jockeys in history have ever risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?