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It has been an exhilarating, glorious and at times 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 head into retirement after the main card during the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar on Saturday, where he has three opportunities to secure one last Grade One winner to his almost 300 already in his record. The sport might not witness a career quite like it again.

A Household Name

Alongside Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last 50 years, “Frankie” is recognized by pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. The public knows his identity, even if they possess absolutely no interest in his profession. In a world that has been fragmented by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori could be the last racing figure that will ever experience such immediate brand recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

His entire career in the sport, in fact, goes back to a time when A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in more than 10 million audience members, and a three-year stint as a team captain was more than enough to establish him as the bubbly, irrepressible face of racing. His final year on the show was 2004, that was also the time when he secured the top jockey award for a third and last occasion. As far as much of the British public, though, he has probably been the champion in most years after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many ways, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for incidents both on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly propelled Dettori onto the front pages, since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to win all seven races on the card.

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from a fiery crash of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When at last ended his quest for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became headline news.

And if everyone loves a champion, they often love a flawed hero and a return even more. A half-year suspension after a failed drug test for cocaine would have been the finish for many riders in their forties, plenty of time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, though, his 2012 suspension served as a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of champions and classic victors, such as 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 this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a situation that Dettori tried, and failed, to keep private.

There have been numerous turns to the tale, indeed, that it can be easy to overlook that absent his tremendous, generational talent, there would be no story at all.

Natural Ability

It was evident from his earliest days as a young apprentice that he had a natural connection with the horses whenever Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed for him, and improved for him. Back in 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to achieve 100 wins in one season, and also marked his arrival at the highest level with two Group One wins 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 his routine in 1994, and the buzz from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Nor has the gift of knowing, with something akin to clairvoyance, where to sit, when to strike and where openings will appear.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the recognizable figure of British 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 do”. It is not, after all, an ambition that he has mentioned previously.

However, the disastrous choice to follow tax guidance that resulted in his dispute with HMRC means that Dettori will not end his career with sufficient funds in the bank to kick back and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been appointed to a new position as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, along with the chance 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 big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit 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 like LeBron James, Currys, Lionel Messi and Pelé and people like that, Frankie is that for horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, 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 actually work and he will be working with us very closely. He will be involved in every area of our operations though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Television reality shows are another option, though previous appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … often showed a moodier side of his personality, behind the ebullient public image. In both programs, he was an early exit due to viewer votes.

It's possible that Dettori himself does not really know what he'll do and how he will fill his time after his riding career ends. And for at least 24 hours at least, he remains a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three mounts at one of the globe's prestigious and glamorous events in the calendar.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly called Argine will be Dettori’s final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race where he achieved his first Breeders’ Cup success 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 Frankie Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?