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The journey has been an exhilarating, glorious and sometimes rocky path, but this time, it appears the famed jockey's mind is made up. The most celebrated rider of the past 40 years will effectively head into retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to add a farewell Grade One winner to nearly 300 on his record already. The sport might not witness a career quite like it again.

A Household Name

Together with racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck over the past half-century, Frankie Dettori is recognized by pretty much everyone, no surname required. People know his identity, even if they have no interest at all in his profession. In today's world that has been divided by social media and the internet, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality who will ever enjoy such instant brand recognition across a broad swathe of Britain's people.

His entire career in horse racing, in fact, goes back to a time when the show A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million audience members, and his three-year role as a team captain was more than enough to cement him as the lively, unforgettable figure of racing. His last year on the program came in 2004, that was also the time when he won the top jockey award for the third and final time. As far as much of the British public, however, he has likely been the top jockey in most years after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

This is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for events both on and off the racecourse which have often propelled Dettori into the headlines, since the unforgettable afternoon 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 light aircraft by fellow jockey, 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 too was headline news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they often love a flawed hero and a comeback all the more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine would have been the finish for many riders in their forties, more than enough time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, his 2012 suspension served as a bridge to a renewed association with trainer John Gosden at Newmarket, and a new series of winners and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and setbacks were a crucial element of his narrative, 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 did not succeed, to keep private.

There have been numerous turns in his story, in fact, that it's easy to forget that absent his tremendous, generational talent, there would have been no story at all.

Natural Ability

It was clear from his earliest days as a young apprentice that he had a natural connection with the horses whenever Dettori was in the saddle.

Steeds performed for him, and improved for him. Back in 1990, he was the first teenager since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in one season, and also announced his emergence at the highest level with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would dominate through unbeaten only six years later. The famous flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the thrill from riding a big-race winner has always stayed with him. Nor has the gift of sensing, with almost clairvoyance, where to position, when to strike and where openings will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the public face of British racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, regardless if Dettori fulfils his expressed wish to take “a few rides in South America, something that he always wanted to do”. It is not, after all, a goal that he had mentioned previously.

However, the disastrous choice to accept the tax advice that resulted in his dispute with HMRC means that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds saved up to kick back and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races last Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, frequently. I like the set-up – this is a young team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new recruit at Del Mar on Thursday. “He is an icon, he is a true legend of the sport,” he stated. “When you talk about great sportsmen like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelés and people like that, Frankie represents that for horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you know that he’s made a big impact countless lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he’s here to actually work and he will working with us very closely. He will participate in all aspects of our business though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Reality TV are another option, although earlier outings on Celebrity Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … often showed a more somber aspect to Dettori’s character, beneath the cheerful public persona. On both shows, he was an early casualty due to viewer votes.

It's possible that Dettori personally does not really know what he will do and how he will fill his time after his riding career ends. And for at least one more day, he stays an elite 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 his last top-level ride 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, yet few jockeys in history have ever excelled in big moments like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?