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The journey has been an exhilarating, glorious and sometimes rocky path, yet now, it appears Frankie Dettori's mind is made up. The most celebrated rider of the past four decades will effectively head into retirement following the primary events during the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to secure one last top-tier victory to his almost 300 already in his record. Racing may not witness a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Alongside racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last half-century, Frankie Dettori is recognized by pretty much everyone, no surname required. People know his identity, even if they have absolutely no interest in his profession. In today's world which has become fragmented by social media and online networks, Dettori may well be the last racing figure who will ever experience such immediate brand recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in the sport, after all, goes back to an era when A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in 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 program came in 2004, that was also the year when he secured the top jockey award for the third and last occasion. As far as much of the British public, though, he has probably been the champion in most years since.

A Hard-Earned Fame

This is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for incidents both on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly pushed Dettori into the headlines, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame massive 25,000-1 odds to ride all seven winners on the card.

In June 2000, he was pulled from a fiery crash of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, following an accident during takeoff where the pilot was killed. When at last ended his quest for a Derby victory in 2007, that too was headline news.

While everyone admires a winner, they frequently adore an imperfect hero and a return all the more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the finish for most jockeys in their 40s, 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 new series of winners and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The celebrated successes and setbacks were a crucial element of Dettori’s story, up to and including the embarrassing confession in March that he filed for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and failed, to keep private.

There have been numerous turns to the tale, indeed, that it can be easy to forget that without his tremendous, generational talent, there would have been no narrative whatsoever.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was clear from his earliest days as a young apprentice that there was an instinctive rapport between horse and rider when Dettori was in the saddle.

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. Back in 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to achieve 100 wins in one season, and also marked his emergence among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would dominate 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 thrill from winning major races has never left him. Nor has the gift of sensing, with almost foresight, where to position, when to make a move and where openings will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the public face of UK horse racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, regardless if Dettori pursues his apparent desire to accept some mounts in South America, something that he always wanted to experience”. It is not, in fact, an ambition that he had mentioned until now.

However, the disastrous choice to accept the tax advice that resulted in his tax issues means 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 been appointed to a new position as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. Dettori told racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the primary reason for his exit now, along with the chance to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities are rare, 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 recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, a genuine legend in the sport,” he stated. “When discussing elite athletes like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelé and people like that, Frankie is that for 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 entertain people, 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 is another possibility, although earlier outings on Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity often showed a moodier side of his personality, behind the ebullient public persona. In both programs, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It's possible that Dettori personally is unsure what he will do and how he will fill his time once his race-riding days ends. And for another 24 hours at least, he stays an elite professional jockey, concentrating on three rides at one of the most prestigious and dazzling events on the schedule.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old filly named Argine will be his last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event in which he registered his first Breeders’ Cup success back in 1994. Her form at home indicates that she needs to find to figure, yet few jockeys historically have risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?