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It has been a thrilling, glorious and sometimes rocky path, but this time, it seems Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most storied rider over the last 40 years will effectively enter retirement following the primary events at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three chances to secure one last top-tier victory to his almost 300 already in his record. The sport might not witness a career quite like it again.

A Household Name

Alongside racing great Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck over the past half-century, “Frankie” registers with pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. The public knows his identity, even if they have no interest at all in what he does. In a world that has been divided by digital platforms and the internet, Dettori may well be the last racing figure who will ever experience such immediate brand recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

His entire career in the sport, in fact, dates back to an era when A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million audience members, and his three-year role as a team captain was sufficient to establish him as the lively, unforgettable figure of racing. His final year on the show was 2004, that was also the time when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and last occasion. As far as much of the British public, however, he has likely been the champion for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

This is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for events on and off the track that have repeatedly propelled Dettori onto the front pages, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame massive 25,000-1 odds to ride all seven winners that day.

Back in June 2000, he was pulled from a fiery crash of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident on takeoff in which the plane’s pilot was killed. When he finally ended his quest for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became headline news.

While everyone admires a winner, they often love a flawed 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 owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, however, his 2012 suspension was a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden at Newmarket, and a new series of champions and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and lows were a crucial element of Dettori’s story, up to and including the embarrassing confession in March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep confidential.

There were so many twists to the tale, indeed, that it's easy to overlook that without his tremendous, generational talent, there would be no story at all.

Natural Ability

It was evident from the start as a teenage apprentice that he had an instinctive rapport between horse and rider whenever Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed 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 announced his arrival among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same card that he would charge without a loss only six years later. His iconic flying dismount, copied from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to his routine in 1994, and the buzz from riding a big-race winner has always stayed with him. Nor has the gift of sensing, with almost foresight, where to position, when to make a move and where the gaps will emerge.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the public face of British racing? It will not be easy to step away completely, regardless if Dettori pursues his apparent desire to take “a few rides in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to experience”. It is not, after all, a goal that he has mentioned previously.

However, the disastrous choice to follow tax guidance that led to his dispute with HMRC indicates that he will not draw down the curtain with enough money in the bank to relax and take things easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been confirmed in a new role as a “global ambassador” with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races last Friday this was the primary reason for his exit now, as well as being able to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances don’t come along, frequently. I like the set-up – this is a young team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new ambassador on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, a genuine legend in the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When discussing elite athletes such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelés and people like that, Frankie is that to horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he’s made a big impact countless lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he's here to work and he will working with us closely. He will participate in every area of our operations though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Television reality shows are another option, although earlier outings on Celebrity 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 due to viewer votes.

It's possible that Dettori himself does not really know what he will do and how to spend his time once his race-riding days are over. And for at least one more day, he remains a top-level professional jockey, focused on three mounts at one of the globe's prestigious and glamorous events in the calendar.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old mare 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 back in 1994. Her performance in Japan indicates that she has something to find to figure, yet few jockeys in history have ever risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?