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The journey has been a thrilling, glorious and at times rocky path, but this time, it seems Frankie Dettori's mind is made up. The most storied rider of the past 40 years is set to enter retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three chances to secure one last top-tier victory to nearly 300 on his record already. Racing may not witness a career quite like it again.

An Iconic Figure

Together with Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last half-century, Frankie Dettori registers with pretty much everyone, no surname required. People know who he is, even if they have absolutely no interest in his profession. In a world which has become fragmented by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori may well be the final equestrian personality that will ever enjoy such instant name-recognition among a wide segment of Britain's people.

Dettori’s lifetime in the sport, in fact, goes back to an era when the show A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million viewers, and a three-year stint as a team captain was sufficient to cement him as the lively, irrepressible face of racing. His last year on the program came in 2004, which was also the year when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and final time. As far as many in the UK, however, he has probably been the champion in most years since.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

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

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from the burning wreckage of a light aircraft by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident during takeoff where the pilot lost his life. When he finally ended his quest for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became headline news.

And if everyone loves a champion, they frequently adore an imperfect hero and a comeback all the more. A half-year suspension after a failed drug test for cocaine could have been the end of most jockeys in their forties, more than enough time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, though, his 2012 suspension was a bridge to a revived partnership with trainer John Gosden at Newmarket, and a new series of winners and classic victors, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and lows have been a crucial element of his narrative, up to and including the humiliating admission in March that he filed for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities over unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and failed, to keep private.

There have been so many twists to the tale, in fact, that it's easy to forget that absent Dettori’s immense, once-in-a-generation skill, there would have been no narrative whatsoever.

Natural Ability

It was evident from the start as a teenage apprentice that there was an instinctive rapport between horse and rider whenever Dettori was in the saddle.

Horses ran for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also announced his emergence among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge without a loss only six years later. The famous flying dismount, adopted from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the buzz from winning major races has never left him. Neither has the talent of sensing, with something akin to clairvoyance, where to sit, when to strike and where openings will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the public face of British racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, regardless if Dettori fulfils his expressed wish to take “a few rides in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to experience”. This is not, after all, an ambition that he has mentioned until now.

However, the disastrous choice to follow tax guidance that led to his dispute with HMRC means that Dettori will not end his career with sufficient funds saved up to kick back and take things 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 main reason for his exit now, along with the chance to finish 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 personally, was gushing in his praise for his new ambassador on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When discussing great sportsmen like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Messis and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie represents that for horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you realize that he has influenced 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 collaborate with us very 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 are another option, though previous appearances on 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 of the public vote.

It may be 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 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.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old filly named Argine will be his last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event in which he registered his initial Breeders’ Cup win in 1994. Her performance in Japan indicates 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?