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It has been an exhilarating, glorious and sometimes rocky path, yet now, it appears the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied rider of the past 40 years is set to enter retirement following the primary events during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, where he has three opportunities to secure one last Grade One winner to nearly 300 already in his record. The sport might not see a career quite like it again.

A Household Name

Together with Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last 50 years, Frankie Dettori is recognized by almost everybody, without needing a last name. People know his identity, even if they possess absolutely no interest in his profession. In a world which has become divided by social media and the internet, Dettori may well be the final equestrian personality that will ever enjoy such instant name-recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in the sport, after all, dates 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 leader was more than enough to establish him as the lively, irrepressible face of racing. His final year on the show was 2004, which was also the time when he secured the top jockey award for a third and last occasion. For many in the UK, however, he has likely been the top jockey for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for incidents both on and off the racecourse which have often propelled Dettori onto the front pages, since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he defied odds of 25,000-1 to win all seven races that day.

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from a fiery crash of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff where the pilot was killed. When at last ended his quest for a Derby winner in 2007, that too was front-page news.

While everyone admires a winner, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a return even more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine would have been the end of many riders in their 40s, more than enough time for owners and trainers 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 fresh succession of winners and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The celebrated successes and lows have been a crucial element of Dettori’s story, up to and including the humiliating admission in March that he filed for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a circumstance that Dettori tried, and did not succeed, to keep private.

There were numerous turns to the tale, in fact, that it's easy to overlook that without his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no narrative whatsoever.

Early Talent and Instincts

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

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he became the first teen since Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also announced his emergence among the elite with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge through unbeaten just six years later. The famous flying dismount, copied from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the thrill from riding a big-race winner has always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of sensing, with almost foresight, where to position, when to strike and where the gaps will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the public face of British racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, regardless if Dettori fulfils his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, which is something he always wanted to do”. This is not, in fact, a goal that he has mentioned until now.

However, the disastrous choice to accept the tax advice that led to his tax issues indicates that Dettori will not end his career with sufficient funds saved up to kick back and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been appointed to a new position as an international ambassador with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing operation. Dettori told Matt Chapman on At The Races last Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, along with the chance to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, frequently. I appreciate the structure – it's a youthful team with huge goals,” said the rider.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, he is a true legend in the sport,” he stated. “When you talk about elite athletes such as LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelés and people like that, Frankie is that for horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you realize 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 work and he will working with us closely. He will be involved in every area of our operations [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Reality TV is another possibility, though previous appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … often showed a more somber aspect of his personality, beneath the cheerful public persona. On both shows, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It's possible that Dettori himself is unsure what he will do and how he will fill his time once his riding career are over. And for another one more day, he stays an elite professional jockey, concentrating on three mounts at one of the globe's prestigious and dazzling events on the schedule.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly called Argine will be Dettori’s last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race in which he registered his initial Breeders’ Cup win in 1994. Her performance in Japan in Japan suggests that she needs to improve to compete, yet few jockeys historically have excelled in big moments like Lanfranco Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?