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The journey has been an exhilarating, magnificent and sometimes rocky path, but this time, it seems the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied jockey over the last 40 years will effectively enter retirement following the primary events at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to secure one last top-tier victory to nearly 300 already in his record. Racing may not witness a career quite like it again.

An Iconic Figure

Together with Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck in the last half-century, Frankie Dettori registers with 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 which has become divided by digital platforms and the internet, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality who will ever experience such immediate name-recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

His entire career in horse racing, after all, dates back to a time when A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in more than 10 million viewers, and his three-year role as a team captain was sufficient to cement him as the lively, unforgettable figure of the sport. His final year on the show came in 2004, which was also the time when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and final time. As far as many in the UK, though, he has likely been the champion for many seasons since.

A Hard-Earned Fame

This is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for incidents both on and off the track which have often pushed Dettori into the headlines, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he defied massive 25,000-1 odds to win all seven races that day.

Back in June 2000, he was pulled from the burning wreckage of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff in which the plane’s 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 champion, they often love a flawed hero and a return all the more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the finish for many riders 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 revived partnership with trainer John Gosden at Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and setbacks have been a crucial element of his narrative, up to and including the embarrassing confession in March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and failed, to keep private.

There were numerous turns to the tale, indeed, that it's easy to overlook that absent Dettori’s immense, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no story at all.

Natural Ability

It was clear from the start as a young apprentice that he had an instinctive rapport with the horses when Dettori was in the saddle.

Horses ran for him, and got better under him. Back in 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners 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 through unbeaten only six years later. The famous flying dismount, adopted from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the thrill from winning major races has never left him. Nor has the gift of knowing, with almost clairvoyance, where to position, when to make a move and where the gaps will emerge.

The Future Ahead

But what now for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, whether or not Dettori fulfils his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, which is something I’ve always wanted to experience”. This is not, after all, a goal that he had mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that led to his dispute with HMRC means that he will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds saved up to kick back and take it easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has been appointed to a new position as a “global ambassador” with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races last Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, along with the chance to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, 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 ambassador on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” he stated. “When you talk about great sportsmen like LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelés and similar figures, Frankie represents that for horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, 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 be involved in every area of our business [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Television reality shows are another option, although earlier outings on Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … have tended to reveal a moodier side to Dettori’s character, beneath the cheerful public image. In both programs, 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 once his race-riding days ends. And for at least 24 hours at least, he stays a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three rides at one of the most prestigious and dazzling events on the schedule.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old mare called Argine will be his final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event where he achieved his first Breeders’ Cup success in 1994. Her performance in Japan 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?