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The journey has been an exhilarating, magnificent and sometimes bumpy ride, but this time, it appears Frankie Dettori's mind is made up. The most celebrated rider over the last four decades will effectively head into retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup in 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.

An Iconic Figure

Alongside Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck over the past 50 years, Frankie Dettori registers with almost everybody, no surname required. People know who he is, even if they possess absolutely no interest in his profession. In today's world which has become fragmented by digital platforms and the internet, Dettori could be the last racing figure who will ever experience such immediate name-recognition among a wide segment of Britain's people.

Dettori’s lifetime in the sport, in fact, goes back to an era when A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million audience members, and a three-year stint as a team captain was sufficient to establish him as the lively, irrepressible face of racing. His last year on the show came in 2004, that was also the year when he secured the top jockey award for a third and final time. As far as many in the UK, however, he has probably been the champion for many seasons since.

A Hard-Earned Fame

It is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for events on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly propelled Dettori onto the front pages, ever since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame massive 25,000-1 odds to win all seven races on the card.

In June 2000, he was rescued from a fiery crash of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot was killed. When at last ended his quest for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became headline news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they often love a flawed hero and a return all the more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine would have been the finish for most jockeys in their 40s, plenty of time for trainers and owners to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, his 2012 suspension was a bridge to a renewed association with trainer John Gosden at Newmarket, and a new series of winners and classic victors, 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 humiliating admission this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with tax authorities regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep confidential.

There have been so many twists to the tale, indeed, that it can be easy to forget that absent his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, 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 a natural connection with the horses when Dettori was on board.

Horses ran for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to reach 100 winners 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 charge without a loss only six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the buzz from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Neither has the talent of sensing, with almost foresight, where to position, when to strike and where openings will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It will not be easy to step away completely, regardless if Dettori pursues his expressed wish to take “a few rides in South America, which is something I’ve always wanted to experience”. It is not, after all, an ambition that he had mentioned until now.

However, the disastrous choice to accept the tax advice that led to his dispute with HMRC indicates that he will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds saved up to relax and take it easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has already been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing enterprise. Dettori told Matt Chapman on At The Races on Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances don’t come along, very often. I like the set-up – this is a young team with huge goals,” said the rider.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, he is a true legend in the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When discussing great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelé and people like that, Frankie represents that for 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 work and he will working with us closely. He will be involved in all aspects of our operations [but] he won’t be 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 more somber aspect of his personality, beneath the cheerful public persona. On both shows, he was an early exit due to viewer votes.

It may be that Dettori himself does not really know what he'll do and how to spend his time after his race-riding days are over. And for another 24 hours at least, he remains an elite professional jockey, focused on three rides at one of the globe's prestigious and glamorous events on the schedule.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly named Argine will be Dettori’s last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event where he achieved his initial Breeders’ Cup win back in 1994. Her form at home in Japan suggests that she has something to find to figure, yet few jockeys historically have excelled in big moments like Lanfranco Dettori.

For one final time, is it time for Frankie?