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The journey has been an exhilarating, glorious and sometimes rocky path, but this time, it seems Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most celebrated jockey of the past 40 years is set to head into retirement following the primary events during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, where he has three opportunities to add a farewell Grade One winner to nearly 300 already in his record. The sport might not witness a career quite like it again.

A Household Name

Together with racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last 50 years, “Frankie” is recognized by pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. People know his identity, even if they possess no interest at all in his profession. In today's world that has been divided by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori may well be the last racing figure that will ever enjoy such instant name-recognition among a wide segment of Britain's people.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, in fact, dates back to a time when A Question Of Sport often attracted over 10 million viewers, and his three-year role as a team leader was more than enough to cement him as the bubbly, irrepressible face of racing. His last year on the show was 2004, which was also the time when he secured the top jockey award for a third and last occasion. As far as much of the British public, however, he has probably been the top jockey in most years since.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many ways, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for incidents both on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly pushed Dettori onto the front pages, ever since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he defied massive 25,000-1 odds to win all seven races on the card.

In June 2000, he was pulled from a fiery crash of a light aircraft by fellow jockey, 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 winner in 2007, that too was headline news.

While everyone admires a champion, they often love an imperfect hero and a return even more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine would have been the finish for many riders in their forties, plenty of time for trainers and owners to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, however, suspension in December 2012 was a bridge to a revived partnership with trainer John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of winners and classic victors, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and lows have been an essential part of his narrative, up to and including the humiliating admission this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep confidential.

There have been numerous turns to the tale, indeed, that it can be easy to overlook that absent Dettori’s immense, generational talent, there would be no story at all.

Natural Ability

It was evident from his earliest days as a young apprentice that he had an instinctive rapport between horse and rider when Dettori was in the saddle.

Steeds performed for him, and improved for him. Back in 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to reach 100 winners in one season, and also announced his arrival among the elite with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same card that he would dominate through unbeaten only six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the thrill from winning major races has always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with something akin to foresight, where to position, when to make a move and where the gaps will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what now for the public face of UK horse racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, whether or not Dettori pursues his expressed wish to take “a few rides in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to experience”. This is not, after all, a goal that he has mentioned until now.

But the calamitous decision to accept the tax advice that led to his tax issues indicates that he will not draw down the curtain with enough money saved up to relax and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been appointed to a new position as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races last Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances don’t come along, frequently. I like the set-up – it's a youthful team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new ambassador at Del Mar on Thursday. “He is an icon, a genuine legend in the sport,” he stated. “When you talk about great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Messis and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you realize that he’s made a big impact countless lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he’s here to actually work and he will be collaborate with us closely. He will be involved in all aspects of our operations [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Television reality shows is another possibility, though previous appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … have tended to reveal a more somber aspect of his personality, behind the ebullient public persona. On both shows, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It's possible that Dettori personally does not really know what he'll do and how he will fill his time after his riding career are over. And for at least one more day, he remains an elite professional jockey, concentrating on three rides at one of the globe's prestigious and glamorous events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old filly named Argine will be his last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race in which he registered his initial Breeders’ Cup win in 1994. Her form at home indicates that she has something to find to figure, but few riders historically have risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?