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The journey has been an exhilarating, magnificent and sometimes bumpy ride, yet now, it seems the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied rider of the past four decades is set to head into retirement after the main card during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three chances to add a farewell Grade One winner to nearly 300 already in his record. The sport might not see a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Together with racing great Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck over the past half-century, Frankie Dettori is recognized by almost everybody, no surname required. The public knows who he is, even if they have no interest at all in his profession. In a world that has been divided by social media and the internet, Dettori may well be the last racing figure who will ever experience such immediate brand recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in the sport, after all, dates back to an era when A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million viewers, and a three-year stint as a team captain was more than enough to establish him as the lively, unforgettable figure of the sport. His final year on the program was 2004, that was also the time when he won the top jockey award for the third and final time. As far as many in the UK, however, he has probably been the champion for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

This is, in many respects, a hard-won celebrity, a mixed blessing for incidents both on and off the racecourse which have often pushed Dettori onto the front pages, since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to ride all seven winners that day.

In June 2000, he was pulled from the burning wreckage of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash on takeoff in which the plane’s pilot was killed. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became front-page news.

While everyone admires a champion, they frequently adore an imperfect hero and a return all the more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the end of many riders in their forties, plenty of time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, though, his 2012 suspension was a bridge to a renewed association with John Gosden at Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs 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 tax authorities over unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep private.

There have been numerous turns to the tale, indeed, that it can be easy to overlook that without his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no narrative whatsoever.

Natural Ability

It was clear from the start as a young apprentice that he had a natural connection with the horses whenever Dettori was in the saddle.

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he was the first teenager 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 day that he would charge without a loss only six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the buzz from winning major races has always stayed with him. Nor has the gift of sensing, with something akin to foresight, where to sit, when to strike and where the gaps will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what now for the public face of British racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, regardless if Dettori fulfils his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, which is something I’ve always wanted to experience”. This is not, in fact, an ambition that he has mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to accept the tax advice that resulted in his tax issues means that he will not end his career with enough money in the bank to relax and take it easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. Dettori told racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the primary reason for his exit now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, frequently. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with huge goals,” said the rider.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments 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 elite athletes such as LeBron James, Currys, Lionel Messi and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you know that he has influenced on so many lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he’s here to actually work and he will be collaborate with us very closely. He will participate in every area of our operations [but] he won’t be 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 have tended to reveal a moodier side of his personality, beneath the cheerful public image. In both programs, he was an early exit of the public vote.

It's possible that Dettori himself is unsure what he will do and how to spend his time once his race-riding days ends. And for at least one more day, he stays an elite 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 mare named Argine will be Dettori’s last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race in which he registered his first Breeders’ Cup success back in 1994. Her performance in Japan indicates that she needs to improve to compete, but few riders historically have excelled in big moments like Lanfranco Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?