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It has been a thrilling, glorious and at times rocky path, yet now, it seems Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most storied rider of the past four decades is set to enter retirement following the primary events during the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar on Saturday, where he has three chances to add a farewell Grade One winner to his almost 300 already in his record. The sport might not witness a career like his ever 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. People know his identity, even if they have no interest at all in his profession. In a world which has become divided by social media and the internet, Dettori could be the last racing figure that will ever experience such immediate brand recognition across a broad swathe of Britain's people.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, in fact, dates 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 establish him as the bubbly, unforgettable figure of the sport. His final year on the program was 2004, that was also the time when he secured the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and last occasion. For many in the UK, however, he has likely been the top jockey in most years since.

A Hard-Earned Fame

It is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for events both on and off the track 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.

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from a fiery crash of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When he finally ended his quest for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became front-page news.

While everyone admires a winner, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a return all the more. A half-year suspension after a failed drug test for cocaine would have been the end of most jockeys in their 40s, plenty of time for trainers and owners to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, his 2012 suspension served as 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 celebrated successes and setbacks were a crucial element of his narrative, right up until the embarrassing confession this past 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 were so many twists in his story, indeed, that it's easy to overlook that without Dettori’s immense, generational talent, there would have been no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

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

Steeds performed for him, and improved for him. Back in 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also announced his arrival among the elite with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same day that he would dominate without a loss only six years later. The famous flying dismount, adopted from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the buzz from winning major races has never left him. Nor has the gift of sensing, with almost clairvoyance, where to sit, when to strike and where the gaps will appear.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the public face of British racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, regardless if Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to accept some mounts in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to experience”. This is not, after all, a goal that he had mentioned until now.

However, the disastrous choice to follow tax guidance that led to his tax issues indicates that he will not end his career with sufficient funds saved up to kick back and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been confirmed in a new role as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing enterprise. Dettori told racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances don’t come along, very often. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new ambassador on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” he stated. “When you talk about great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Messis and Pelés and people like that, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you know that he has influenced on so many lives across the world.

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

Reality TV is another possibility, though previous appearances on Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … have tended to reveal a moodier side to Dettori’s character, behind the ebullient public image. On both shows, he was an early exit of the public vote.

It may be that Dettori himself does not really know what he'll do and how to spend his time after 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 glamorous events on the schedule.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old mare called Argine will be Dettori’s final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race where he achieved his initial Breeders’ Cup win back in 1994. Her performance in Japan in Japan suggests that she has something to find to figure, yet few jockeys historically have excelled in big moments like Lanfranco Dettori.

For one final time, cue Frankie?