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The journey has been a thrilling, magnificent and sometimes bumpy ride, but this time, it appears Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most storied rider of the past four decades is set to head into retirement after the main card during the Breeders’ Cup at 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 quite like it again.

A Household Name

Alongside Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck in the last 50 years, Frankie Dettori registers with pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. People know who he is, even if they possess no interest at all in his profession. In a world which has become divided by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori could be the last racing figure that will ever experience such immediate name-recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

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 sufficient to cement him as the bubbly, unforgettable figure of racing. His last year on the show came in 2004, that was also the year when he secured the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and last occasion. For many in the UK, though, he has likely been the champion in most years after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many respects, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for events both on and off the track which have often propelled Dettori into the headlines, ever since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to ride all seven winners on the card.

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from a fiery crash of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot was killed. When at last concluded his pursuit 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 end of many riders in their forties, more than enough time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, suspension in December 2012 was a bridge to a renewed association with John Gosden at Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and setbacks have been a crucial element of his narrative, up to and including the humiliating admission this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities over unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep private.

There have been numerous turns to the tale, in fact, that it can be easy to forget that without Dettori’s immense, 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 between horse and rider whenever Dettori was in the saddle.

Horses ran for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners in one season, and also marked his arrival among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would dominate through unbeaten only six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the buzz from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with almost clairvoyance, where to sit, when to make a move and where the gaps will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, whether or not Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to accept some mounts in South America, something that he always wanted to do”. It is not, in fact, an ambition that he had mentioned until now.

However, the disastrous choice to accept the tax advice that led to his tax issues indicates that he will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds saved up to relax and take things easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. Dettori told racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, along with the chance 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 personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new ambassador on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, he is a true legend in the sport,” he stated. “When you talk about great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelé and people like that, Frankie is that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you know that he’s made a big impact on so many lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he's here to work and he will working with us very closely. He will be involved in every area of our operations [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Reality TV are another option, 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 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 race-riding days are over. And for another one more day, he remains an elite professional jockey, focused on three mounts at one of the globe's prestigious and dazzling events on the schedule.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old mare called 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 back in 1994. Her form at home indicates that she has something to find to figure, but few riders in history have ever risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?