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The journey has been a thrilling, magnificent and at times rocky path, but this time, it appears the famed jockey's decision is final. The most celebrated jockey of the past 40 years is set to head into retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, where he has three opportunities to add a farewell Grade One winner to his almost 300 already in his record. Racing may not see a career like his ever again.

An Iconic Figure

Alongside Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck over the past half-century, “Frankie” registers with almost everybody, no surname required. People know who he is, even if they have absolutely no interest in what he does. In today's world that has been divided by social media and the internet, Dettori may well be the final equestrian personality who will ever experience such immediate name-recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, after all, 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 more than enough to cement him as the bubbly, unforgettable figure of racing. His last year on the show was 2004, that was also the year when he won the top jockey award for a third and final time. As far as many in the UK, however, he has likely been the top jockey in most years after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

This is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for events on and off the track which have often propelled Dettori into the headlines, ever since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame massive 25,000-1 odds to win all seven races on the card.

In June 2000, he was pulled from a fiery crash of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, following an accident on takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby victory in 2007, that too was front-page news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they frequently adore an imperfect hero and a comeback even more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine could 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 in Newmarket, and a new series of champions and classic victors, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and setbacks were an essential part of his narrative, up to and including the humiliating admission in March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and failed, to keep private.

There have been numerous turns in his story, in fact, that it's easy to overlook that without his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would have been no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was evident from his earliest days as a young apprentice that he had a natural connection with the horses when Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in one season, and also marked his emergence at the highest level with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same card that he would charge without a loss just six years later. The famous flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the buzz from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with almost foresight, where to position, when to make a move and where openings will emerge.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the public face of UK horse racing? It will not be easy to step away completely, regardless if Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to take “a few rides in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to experience”. It is not, after all, an ambition that he had mentioned previously.

However, the disastrous choice to follow tax guidance that resulted in his dispute with HMRC means that he will not draw down the curtain with enough money saved up to kick back and take things easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has already been confirmed in a new role as a “global ambassador” with the football super-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, along with the chance to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, very often. 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 in the sport,” he stated. “When discussing elite athletes such as LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie is that for horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you know that he’s made a big impact countless 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 closely. He will be involved in every area of our business though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

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

It's possible that Dettori himself does not really know what he will do and how he will fill his time after his race-riding days are over. And for at least 24 hours at least, he remains an elite professional jockey, concentrating on three rides at one of the most prestigious and glamorous events on the schedule.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly named Argine will be his last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race in which he registered his first Breeders’ Cup success in 1994. Her form at home indicates that she has something to improve to compete, yet few jockeys in history have ever risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?