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It has been an exhilarating, glorious and at times rocky path, but this time, it appears the famed jockey's decision is final. The most celebrated jockey of the past four decades will effectively head into retirement after the main card during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, where he has three chances to secure one last top-tier victory to his almost 300 on his record already. Racing may not witness a career like his ever again.

An Iconic Figure

Together with racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last half-century, “Frankie” registers with pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. The public knows who he is, even if they possess no interest at all in what he does. In today's world that has been fragmented by digital platforms and the internet, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality that will ever experience such immediate name-recognition across a broad swathe of Britain's people.

His entire career in the sport, after all, goes back to a time when A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million audience members, and his three-year role as a team captain was sufficient to cement him as the bubbly, unforgettable figure of the sport. His final year on the show came in 2004, that was also the time when he won the top jockey award for a third and final time. For much of the British public, however, he has probably been the top jockey in most years since.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many ways, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for events on and off the racecourse which have often propelled Dettori onto the front pages, ever since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he defied odds of 25,000-1 to win all seven races that day.

In June 2000, he was rescued from a fiery crash of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, after a crash on takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that too was front-page news.

While everyone admires a champion, they often love an imperfect hero and a return all the more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine would have been the finish for most jockeys in their 40s, more than enough time for trainers and owners to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, though, suspension in December 2012 served as a bridge to a renewed association with John Gosden at Newmarket, and a new series of winners and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The celebrated successes and lows have been an essential part of Dettori’s story, up to and including the humiliating admission 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 so many twists in his story, indeed, that it's easy to forget that absent his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would have been no story at all.

Natural Ability

It was evident from the start as a teenage apprentice that he had a natural connection between horse and rider when Dettori was in the saddle.

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. Back in 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in a season, and also marked his arrival among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same card that he would charge without a loss only six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into Dettori’s repertoire 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 position, when to make a move and where openings will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what now for the public face of UK horse racing? It won't be simple to step away completely, regardless if Dettori pursues his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to do”. It 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 indicates that he will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds saved up to kick back and take things 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 enterprise. Dettori told racing presenter Matt Chapman last Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, along with the chance to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, very often. I like the set-up – it's a youthful team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian personally, 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,” he stated. “When discussing great sportsmen like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Messis and Pelé and people like that, Frankie is that for horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you know that he’s made a big impact countless lives across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he's here to work and he will be collaborate with us closely. He will participate in all aspects of our operations though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Reality TV is another possibility, although earlier outings on Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity often showed a more somber aspect to Dettori’s character, behind the ebullient public persona. In both programs, he was an early exit due to viewer votes.

It may be that Dettori himself is unsure what he'll do and how to spend his time once his race-riding days ends. And for at least one more day, he remains a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three rides 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 where he achieved his first Breeders’ Cup success in 1994. Her performance in Japan in Japan suggests that she needs to improve to compete, yet few jockeys historically have risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?