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It has been an exhilarating, magnificent and at times bumpy ride, but this time, it appears Frankie Dettori's mind is made up. The most celebrated rider of the past 40 years is set to head into retirement after the main card during the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar this Saturday, where he has three opportunities to secure one last Grade One winner to nearly 300 already in his record. Racing may not see a career quite like it again.

An Iconic Figure

Together with racing great Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck over the past 50 years, “Frankie” is recognized by pretty much everyone, no surname required. The public knows who he is, even if they possess no interest at all in his profession. In today's world which has become divided by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori may well be the last racing figure that will ever experience such immediate name-recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, after all, goes back to an era when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million audience members, and a three-year stint as a team captain was sufficient to establish him as the bubbly, unforgettable figure of racing. His last year on the program came in 2004, that was also the time when he secured the top jockey award for the third and final time. For much of the British public, though, he has probably been the top jockey for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

It is, in many respects, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for incidents both on and off the racecourse which have often propelled Dettori into the headlines, since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he defied massive 25,000-1 odds to win all seven races that day.

In June 2000, he was rescued from the burning wreckage of a light aircraft by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, after a crash on takeoff where the pilot was killed. When he finally ended his quest for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became headline news.

While everyone admires a champion, they often love a flawed hero and a return all the more. A six-month ban after a failed drug test for cocaine would have been the end of many riders in their 40s, plenty of time for trainers and owners to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, however, his 2012 suspension served as a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden at Newmarket, and a new series of champions and classic victors, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and setbacks were an essential part of his narrative, up to and including the embarrassing confession this past March that he filed for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and failed, to keep confidential.

There have been numerous turns in his story, indeed, that it's easy to overlook that absent his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no narrative whatsoever.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was clear from his earliest days as a teenage apprentice that there was a natural connection with the horses whenever Dettori was on board.

Horses ran for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners in one season, and also announced his arrival at the highest level with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same day that he would dominate through unbeaten just six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the thrill from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Nor has the gift of knowing, with something akin to foresight, where to sit, when to strike and where openings will emerge.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the public face of British racing? It won't be simple to step away completely, whether or not Dettori fulfils 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, a goal that he had mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to accept the tax advice that resulted in his dispute with HMRC indicates that he will not draw down the curtain with enough money saved up to kick back and take it easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has been appointed to a new position as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races on Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, along with the chance to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, very often. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was effusive in his compliments for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, he is a true legend in the sport,” he stated. “When discussing great sportsmen like LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelés and people like that, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you know that he’s made a big impact on so many lives worldwide.

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

Reality TV are another option, although earlier outings on Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity have tended to reveal a moodier side of his personality, beneath the cheerful 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 are over. And for another 24 hours at least, he stays a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three mounts at one of the most prestigious and glamorous events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old filly named Argine will be Dettori’s last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race in which he registered his first Breeders’ Cup success back in 1994. Her performance in Japan in Japan suggests that she has something to improve to compete, yet few jockeys historically have risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?