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It has been an exhilarating, magnificent and sometimes rocky path, yet now, it appears Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most celebrated jockey of the past 40 years will effectively head into retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, where he has three chances to secure one last Grade One winner to his almost 300 already in his record. Racing may not see a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Alongside racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck over the past 50 years, “Frankie” registers with pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. People know his identity, even if they possess no interest at all in what he does. In today's world that has been divided by social media and online networks, Dettori could be the last racing figure who will ever experience such immediate brand recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, after all, goes back to an era when A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million audience members, and a three-year stint as a team leader was sufficient to cement him as the lively, unforgettable figure 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 many in the UK, however, he has probably been the champion for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

It is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for events on and off the racecourse which have often propelled Dettori onto the front pages, ever since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he defied massive 25,000-1 odds to ride all seven winners that day.

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from the burning wreckage of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash on takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When he finally ended his quest for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became front-page news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they often love a flawed hero and a return all the more. A six-month ban after a failed drug test for cocaine would have been the finish for most jockeys in their forties, plenty of time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, though, his 2012 suspension served as a bridge to a renewed association with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of champions and classic victors, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and setbacks were an essential part of Dettori’s story, up to and including the embarrassing confession this past March that he filed for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep confidential.

There have been so many twists in his story, indeed, that it can be easy to forget that without Dettori’s immense, once-in-a-generation skill, there would have been no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

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

Horses ran for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he became the first teen since Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also marked his arrival at the highest level with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same card that he would dominate without a loss just six years later. The famous 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 always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of sensing, with almost foresight, where to sit, when to make a move and where openings will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, regardless if Dettori pursues his expressed wish to take “a few rides in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to do”. It is not, after all, an ambition that he had mentioned until now.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that resulted in his dispute with HMRC indicates that Dettori will not end his career with sufficient funds saved up to relax and take things easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian's growing Amo Racing enterprise. Dettori told Matt Chapman on At The Races last Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, very often. 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 recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” he stated. “When discussing elite athletes such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelé 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 across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he’s here to actually work and he will working with us 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.”

Television reality shows are another option, though previous appearances on Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … have tended to reveal a moodier side to Dettori’s character, beneath the cheerful public image. On both shows, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It may be that Dettori himself does not really know what he'll do and how he will fill his time once his riding career ends. And for at least 24 hours at least, he stays a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three rides at one of the most prestigious and dazzling events on the schedule.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly called Argine will be Dettori’s final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race where he achieved his first Breeders’ Cup success in 1994. Her form at home indicates that she has something to improve to compete, yet few jockeys historically have risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?