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The journey has been a thrilling, glorious and at times bumpy ride, yet now, it appears the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied rider of the past four decades will effectively head into retirement following the primary events at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to add a farewell Grade One winner to his almost 300 already in his record. The sport might not see a career quite like it again.

An Iconic Figure

Together with Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck over the past 50 years, “Frankie” is recognized by pretty much everyone, no surname required. The public knows his identity, even if they possess no interest at all in what he does. In a world which has become divided by social media and the internet, Dettori could be the last racing figure who will ever experience such immediate name-recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, after all, dates back to an era when the show 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 cement him as the bubbly, unforgettable figure of racing. His last year on the program was 2004, which was also the time when he secured the Flat jockeys’ title for the third and final time. For many in the UK, however, he has likely been the champion in most years after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

This is, in many ways, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for events both 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 on the card.

In June 2000, he was rescued from the burning wreckage of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, following an accident on 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 front-page news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a comeback all the more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the end of most jockeys in their forties, plenty of time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, however, suspension in December 2012 was a bridge to a revived partnership with trainer John Gosden at 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 were an essential part of his narrative, up to and including the embarrassing confession in March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and failed, to keep private.

There were numerous turns in his story, in fact, that it can be easy to overlook that absent Dettori’s immense, generational talent, there would be no narrative whatsoever.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was evident from the start as a teenage apprentice that he had an instinctive rapport with the horses whenever Dettori was on board.

Horses ran for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also marked his arrival at the highest level with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge through unbeaten just six years later. His iconic flying dismount, copied from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the thrill from winning major races has always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with something akin to clairvoyance, where to sit, when to strike and where openings will emerge.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the public face of British racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, whether or not Dettori fulfils his expressed wish to take “a few rides in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to do”. This is not, in fact, an ambition that he has mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that led to his dispute with HMRC means that he will not end his career with enough money saved up to relax and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been appointed to a new position as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's burgeoning Amo Racing operation. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races on Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, as well as being able to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, frequently. I like the set-up – this is a young team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was effusive in his compliments for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, he is a true legend in the sport,” he stated. “When discussing elite athletes like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Messis and Pelés and similar figures, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he’s made a big impact 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 working with us closely. He will be involved in every area of our operations [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Reality TV are another option, although earlier outings on Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity often showed a moodier side to Dettori’s character, behind the ebullient public image. On both shows, he was an early casualty due to viewer votes.

It's possible that Dettori himself is unsure what he will do and how to spend his time once his race-riding days are over. And for at least 24 hours at least, he stays an elite professional jockey, focused on three rides at one of the globe's 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 initial Breeders’ Cup win 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.

For one final time, cue Frankie?