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The journey has been an exhilarating, magnificent and at times bumpy ride, but this time, it appears Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most celebrated jockey over the last 40 years is set to enter retirement following the primary events during the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to secure one last top-tier victory to nearly 300 on his record already. Racing may not witness a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

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

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, after all, goes back to an era when A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million audience members, and a three-year stint as a team captain was more than enough to establish him as the lively, unforgettable figure of the sport. His last year on the program was 2004, which was also the time when he secured the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and final time. For much of the British public, though, he has likely been the top jockey for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

This is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for incidents both on and off the racecourse which have often pushed Dettori onto the front pages, ever since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame massive 25,000-1 odds to win all seven races that day.

In June 2000, he was rescued from a fiery crash of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff where the pilot lost his life. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that too was headline news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they frequently adore an imperfect hero and a return all the more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the finish for many riders in their forties, plenty of time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, his 2012 suspension served as a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden at Newmarket, and a new series of champions and classic victors, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and lows were an essential part of his narrative, right up until the embarrassing confession this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and failed, to keep confidential.

There have been so many twists in his story, in fact, that it can be easy to overlook that without his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would have been no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was evident from the start as a young apprentice that he had an instinctive rapport with the horses when Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to reach 100 winners in one season, and also announced his emergence among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same card that he would dominate without a loss only six years later. The famous flying dismount, copied from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the thrill from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Nor has the gift of knowing, with almost foresight, where to sit, when to strike and where openings will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the public face of British racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, whether or not Dettori pursues his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, which is something he always wanted to experience”. It is not, after all, an ambition that he has mentioned previously.

However, the disastrous choice to accept the tax advice that resulted in his dispute with HMRC indicates that Dettori will not end his career with sufficient funds in the bank to kick back and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been appointed to a new position as a “global ambassador” with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing operation. Dettori told racing presenter Matt Chapman last Friday this was the primary reason for his exit now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, 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, he is a true legend in the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When discussing great sportsmen like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelés and similar figures, Frankie is that for horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you know that he has influenced countless lives across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he’s here to actually work and he will working with us closely. He will be involved in all aspects of our business [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 moodier side of his personality, beneath the cheerful public image. On both shows, he was an early exit due to viewer votes.

It may be that Dettori personally does not really know what he will do and how to spend his time once his race-riding days are over. And for another 24 hours at least, he remains a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three mounts at one of the most prestigious and dazzling events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old mare called Argine will be his 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 in Japan suggests that she needs to improve to compete, but few riders in history have ever risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?