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The journey has been an exhilarating, glorious and sometimes rocky path, but this time, it appears Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most storied jockey over the last four decades is set to enter retirement after the main card during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, where he has three opportunities to secure one last top-tier victory to nearly 300 already in his record. Racing may not see a career quite like it again.

A Household Name

Alongside Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck in the last half-century, “Frankie” is recognized by almost everybody, no surname required. The public knows who he is, even if they have absolutely no interest in his profession. In a world that has been divided by social media and the internet, Dettori may well be the final equestrian personality that will ever experience such immediate name-recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

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 viewers, and his three-year role as a team leader was sufficient to establish him as the lively, unforgettable figure of the sport. His last year on the program was 2004, that was also the time when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and last occasion. As far as many in the UK, though, he has likely been the top jockey for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

It is, in many ways, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for events both on and off the racecourse which have often pushed Dettori into the headlines, ever since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame massive 25,000-1 odds to win all seven races that day.

In June 2000, he was rescued 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 he finally ended his quest for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became front-page news.

While everyone admires a winner, they often love an imperfect hero and a comeback even more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine would have been the end of most jockeys in their 40s, plenty of 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 trainer John Gosden at Newmarket, and a new series of winners and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and setbacks were a crucial element of Dettori’s story, up to and including the humiliating admission this past March that he filed for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a situation that Dettori tried, and failed, to keep confidential.

There have been so many twists to the tale, in fact, that it's easy to overlook that absent Dettori’s immense, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was clear from the start as a young apprentice that he had an instinctive rapport between horse and rider when Dettori was in the saddle.

Horses ran for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he became the first teen since Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also announced his arrival among the elite with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same card that he would dominate through unbeaten just six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the buzz from winning major races has always stayed with him. Nor has the gift of knowing, with almost foresight, where to sit, when to strike and where the gaps will emerge.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It won't be simple to step away completely, regardless if Dettori fulfils his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, which is something he always wanted to experience”. It is not, in fact, an ambition that he has mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to accept the tax advice that led to his dispute with HMRC indicates that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds in the bank to kick back and take things easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s burgeoning Amo Racing operation. Dettori told racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities are rare, frequently. I like the set-up – it's a youthful team with huge goals,” said the rider.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, he is a true legend of the sport,” he stated. “When discussing great sportsmen like LeBron James, Currys, Lionel Messi and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie is that to horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he has influenced countless lives across the world.

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

Television reality shows 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. In both programs, he was an early exit of the public vote.

It's possible that Dettori himself is unsure what he'll do and how to spend his time after his race-riding days are over. And for at least one more day, he remains an elite professional jockey, focused 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 Dettori’s final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event in which he registered his first Breeders’ Cup success back in 1994. Her performance in Japan indicates that she has something to find to figure, but few riders in history have ever risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

For one final time, cue Frankie?