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The journey has been an exhilarating, magnificent and at times bumpy ride, yet now, it seems the famed jockey's mind is made up. The most celebrated rider over the last four decades will effectively enter retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to secure one last Grade One winner to his almost 300 on his record already. The sport might not see a career like his ever again.

An Iconic Figure

Together with racing great Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck over the past 50 years, Frankie Dettori registers with pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. The public knows his identity, even if they have absolutely no interest in what he does. In today's world which has become divided by digital platforms and the internet, Dettori may well be the final equestrian personality who will ever enjoy such instant name-recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, after all, goes back to a time when the show A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in more than 10 million viewers, and his three-year role as a team leader was sufficient to establish him as the lively, unforgettable figure of racing. His last year on the show was 2004, that was also the year when he won the top jockey award for a third and final time. As far as many in the UK, however, he has likely been the champion in most years after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

It is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for incidents both on and off the racecourse which have often propelled Dettori into the headlines, ever since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to ride all seven winners that day.

In June 2000, he was rescued from a fiery crash of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, following an accident on takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that too was front-page news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they frequently adore an imperfect hero and a comeback all the more. A six-month ban after a failed drug test for cocaine could have been the end of most jockeys in their 40s, plenty of time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, suspension in December 2012 served as a bridge to a renewed association with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of champions and classic victors, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The celebrated successes and lows were an essential part of his narrative, up to and including the embarrassing confession in March that he filed for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with tax authorities over unpaid taxes, a circumstance that Dettori tried, and failed, to keep private.

There were numerous turns to the tale, indeed, that it's easy to overlook that absent his tremendous, generational talent, there would have been no narrative whatsoever.

Natural Ability

It was evident from his earliest days as a young apprentice that there was an instinctive rapport between horse and rider when Dettori was in the saddle.

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. Back in 1990, he was the first teenager since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also announced his arrival at the highest level with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same card that he would charge through unbeaten only six years later. The famous flying dismount, copied from the American 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. Nor has the gift of sensing, with almost clairvoyance, where to position, when to strike and where the gaps will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what now for the recognizable figure of British racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, regardless if Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to take “a few rides in South America, something that he always wanted to experience”. It is not, after all, a goal that he had mentioned until now.

However, the disastrous choice to accept the tax advice that led to his dispute with HMRC means that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with enough money saved up to relax and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been appointed to a new position as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's growing Amo Racing operation. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races on Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, along with the chance to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, frequently. I like the set-up – it's a youthful team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was effusive in his compliments for his new ambassador at Del Mar on Thursday. “He is an icon, he is a true legend in the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When you talk about great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie is that for horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you know that he has influenced countless lives across the world.

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

Reality TV is another possibility, though previous appearances on Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … have tended to reveal a more somber aspect of his personality, behind the ebullient public persona. In both programs, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It may be that Dettori personally does not really know what he will do and how to spend his time once his riding career ends. And for at least 24 hours at least, he remains an elite professional jockey, focused on three mounts at one of the most prestigious and dazzling events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old filly called Argine will be his final Grade One mount 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 has something to improve to compete, yet few jockeys in history have ever excelled in big moments like Lanfranco Dettori.

For one final time, cue Frankie?