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The journey has been a thrilling, glorious and at times bumpy ride, but this time, it appears the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied rider of the past 40 years will effectively enter retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three chances to secure one last top-tier victory to nearly 300 already in his record. The sport might not see a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Together with Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck over the past 50 years, “Frankie” is recognized by almost everybody, without needing a last name. The public knows who he is, even if they possess absolutely no interest in what he does. In today's world that has been divided by social media and the internet, Dettori may well be the final equestrian personality who will ever experience such immediate brand recognition across a broad swathe of Britain's people.

His entire career in the sport, in fact, goes back to an era when A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in more than 10 million audience members, and a three-year stint as a team captain was sufficient to cement him as the bubbly, irrepressible face of racing. His final year on the program was 2004, which was also the year when he won the top jockey award for the third and final time. As far as much of the British public, though, he has probably been the top jockey in most years after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

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 into the headlines, ever since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he defied massive 25,000-1 odds to ride all seven winners on the card.

In June 2000, he was pulled from the burning wreckage of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash on takeoff where the pilot lost his life. When at last ended his quest for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became headline news.

While everyone admires a champion, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a return even more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine would have been the end of many riders in their forties, more than enough time for trainers and owners to find a younger alternative. 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, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and lows were a crucial element of Dettori’s story, right up until the humiliating admission in March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with tax authorities regarding unpaid taxes, a situation that Dettori tried, and failed, to keep private.

There were numerous turns to the tale, in fact, that it can be easy to overlook that absent Dettori’s immense, generational talent, there would be no narrative whatsoever.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was evident from the start as a young apprentice that there was 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 Piggott to achieve 100 wins 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 dominate through unbeaten only six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the buzz from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Nor has the gift of knowing, with almost clairvoyance, where to sit, when to strike and where the gaps will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It won't be simple to step away completely, whether or not Dettori fulfils his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, something that he always wanted to do”. It is not, after all, a goal that he has mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to accept the tax advice that led to his dispute with HMRC means that Dettori will not end his career with sufficient funds saved up to kick back and take things easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman last Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, as well as being able to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, frequently. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with big ambitions,” said the rider.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, he is a true legend of the sport,” he stated. “When you talk about great sportsmen like LeBron James, Currys, Lionel Messi and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie is that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you know that he’s made a big impact countless lives across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he's here to work and he will be 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 is another possibility, although earlier outings on Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity often showed a more somber aspect to Dettori’s character, behind the ebullient public persona. On both shows, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It's possible that Dettori personally is unsure what he'll do and how he will fill his time once his riding career are over. And for at least one more day, he remains an elite professional jockey, focused on three mounts at one of the most prestigious and glamorous events in the calendar.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly called Argine will be his final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race in which he registered 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 Frankie Dettori.

For one final time, cue Frankie?