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It has been a thrilling, glorious and sometimes rocky path, but this time, it appears the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied jockey over the last 40 years will effectively enter retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three chances to add a farewell Grade One winner to his almost 300 on his record already. Racing may not see a career quite like it again.

An Iconic Figure

Together with Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck in the last 50 years, Frankie Dettori is recognized by almost everybody, no surname required. The public knows his identity, even if they have no interest at all in his profession. In today's world which has become divided by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality that will ever enjoy such instant brand recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in the sport, after all, dates back to a time when 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 the sport. His final year on the program came in 2004, which was also the time when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for the third and last occasion. For much of the British public, though, he has likely been the champion for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for incidents both on and off the track that have repeatedly pushed Dettori onto the front pages, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to win all seven races that day.

Back in June 2000, he was pulled 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 winner in 2007, that too was headline news.

While everyone admires a winner, they frequently adore an imperfect hero and a return all the more. A six-month ban after a failed drug test for cocaine could have been the end of many riders in their 40s, 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 public highs and lows have been an essential part of his narrative, up to and including the humiliating admission this past March that he filed for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and failed, to keep confidential.

There were numerous turns in his story, indeed, that it can be easy to forget that absent Dettori’s immense, generational talent, there would be no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

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

Steeds performed for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to reach 100 winners in one season, and also marked his emergence among the elite with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same card that he would dominate without a loss just 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 riding a big-race winner has always stayed with him. Nor has the gift of knowing, with almost foresight, where to sit, when to strike and where the gaps will appear.

The Future Ahead

But what now for the recognizable figure of British racing? It won't be simple to step away completely, regardless if Dettori fulfils his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, something that he always wanted to experience”. This is not, after all, a goal that he had mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that led to his tax issues means that Dettori will not end his career with sufficient funds in the bank to kick back and take things easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been confirmed in a new role as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. Dettori told Matt Chapman on At The Races on Friday this was the main reason for his exit now, along with the chance to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, very often. I appreciate the structure – it's a youthful team with huge goals,” said the rider.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, a genuine legend in the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When discussing elite athletes such as LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelé and people like that, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you know that he’s made a big impact countless lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he's here to work and he will collaborate with us closely. He will be involved in every area of our business [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Reality TV are another option, though previous appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity often showed a moodier side of his personality, beneath the cheerful public persona. On both shows, 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 riding career ends. And for another one more day, he stays an elite professional jockey, concentrating on three mounts at one of the most prestigious and dazzling events in the calendar.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly named Argine will be Dettori’s final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race in which he registered his first Breeders’ Cup success in 1994. Her form at home in Japan suggests that she has something to improve to compete, but few riders historically have risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

For one final time, cue Frankie?