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The journey has been an exhilarating, glorious and at times bumpy ride, but this time, it appears Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most storied jockey over the last four decades is set to head into retirement after the main card during the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three chances to secure one last top-tier victory to nearly 300 on his record already. Racing may not witness a career like his ever again.

An Iconic Figure

Alongside racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last 50 years, “Frankie” is recognized by almost everybody, without needing a last name. People know who he is, even if they have no interest at all in his profession. In today's world which has become fragmented by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori could 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 the sport, in fact, dates back to a time when A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million viewers, and his three-year role as a team captain was sufficient to establish him as the lively, unforgettable figure of racing. His last year on the program was 2004, that was also the year when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and final time. For much of the British public, though, he has probably been the top jockey for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

This is, in many ways, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for incidents on and off the racecourse 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.

In June 2000, he was pulled from the burning wreckage of a light aircraft by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that too was headline news.

And if everyone loves a champion, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a comeback all the more. A six-month ban after a failed drug test for cocaine could have been the end of many riders in their forties, more than enough time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, however, his 2012 suspension served as a bridge to a renewed association with trainer John Gosden in Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The celebrated successes and setbacks were a crucial element of his narrative, right up until the embarrassing confession this past March that he filed for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep private.

There have been so many twists to the tale, indeed, that it's easy to overlook that absent his tremendous, generational talent, there would be no narrative whatsoever.

Natural Ability

It was evident from his earliest days as a teenage apprentice that he had a natural connection with the horses when Dettori was in the saddle.

Horses ran for him, and improved for him. Back in 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also marked his emergence among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same card that he would dominate through unbeaten just six years later. The famous flying dismount, adopted from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the thrill from winning major races has never left him. Neither has the talent of sensing, with something akin to clairvoyance, where to sit, when to strike and where the gaps will appear.

The Future Ahead

But what now for the recognizable figure of British racing? It will not be easy to step away completely, whether or not Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to accept some mounts in South America, something that he always wanted to experience”. It is not, after all, an ambition that he has mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that resulted in his dispute with HMRC indicates that he will not draw down the curtain with enough money in the bank to kick back and take things easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has been appointed to a new position as a “global ambassador” with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian's burgeoning Amo Racing operation. Dettori told Matt Chapman on At The Races on Friday this was the primary reason for his exit now, as well as being able to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities are rare, very often. I appreciate the structure – it's a youthful team with huge goals,” said the rider.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new ambassador at Del Mar on Thursday. “He’s an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When discussing elite athletes like LeBron James, Currys, Lionel Messi and Pelés and similar figures, Frankie represents that for horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he has influenced on so many lives across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he's here to work and he will be collaborate with us 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 is another possibility, although earlier outings on Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity have tended to reveal a more somber aspect of his personality, beneath the cheerful public image. In both programs, he was an early exit of the public vote.

It may be that Dettori personally is unsure what he will do and how he will fill his time after his race-riding days are over. And for another one more day, he remains a top-level professional jockey, focused on three rides at one of the globe's prestigious and dazzling events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old mare named 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 back in 1994. Her performance in Japan in Japan suggests that she needs to improve to compete, but few riders historically have excelled in big moments like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?