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The journey has been an exhilarating, glorious and at times rocky path, but this time, it seems the famed jockey's mind is made up. The most celebrated rider of the past four decades is set to head into retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar this Saturday, where he has three chances to add a farewell Grade One winner to nearly 300 on his record already. Racing may not witness a career quite like it again.

An Iconic Figure

Together with Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last half-century, “Frankie” is recognized by pretty much everyone, no surname required. The public knows his identity, even if they have absolutely no interest in his profession. In today's world that has been divided by digital platforms and the internet, Dettori could be the last racing figure that 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 a time when the show A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in more than 10 million viewers, and a three-year stint as a team leader was sufficient to cement him as the lively, unforgettable figure of racing. His final year on the program was 2004, which was also the time when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and final time. As far as many in the UK, however, he has likely been the champion for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many ways, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for events both on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly propelled Dettori into the headlines, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to ride all seven winners on the card.

Back in June 2000, he was pulled from the burning wreckage of a light aircraft by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident on takeoff in which the plane’s pilot was killed. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that too was front-page news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a return even more. A six-month ban following a positive 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, however, suspension in December 2012 was a bridge to a renewed association with trainer John Gosden at Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and lows were an essential part of Dettori’s story, right up until the embarrassing confession this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities regarding unpaid taxes, a situation that Dettori tried, and failed, to keep private.

There were so many twists in his story, in fact, that it can be easy to overlook that without his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no story at all.

Natural Ability

It was clear from his earliest days as a teenage apprentice that he had an instinctive rapport with the horses when Dettori was on board.

Horses ran for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he became the first teen since Piggott to reach 100 winners in one season, and also marked his arrival among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same card that he would dominate through unbeaten just six years later. The famous flying dismount, copied from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to his routine in 1994, and the buzz from winning major races has always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with something akin to foresight, where to position, when to make a move and where the gaps will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the public face of UK horse racing? It will not be easy to step away completely, regardless if Dettori pursues his expressed wish to take “a few rides in South America, which is something he always wanted to do”. It is not, after all, a goal that he had mentioned until now.

However, the disastrous choice to accept the tax advice that led to his tax issues means that Dettori will not end his career with sufficient funds in the bank to relax and take things easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been appointed to a new position as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, along with the chance to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, frequently. 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 recruit at Del Mar on Thursday. “He is an icon, a genuine legend in the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When discussing great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelé and people like that, Frankie is that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you know that he has influenced countless 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 closely. He will participate in all aspects of our business [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Reality TV is another possibility, although earlier outings on Celebrity Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … often showed a more somber aspect 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 will do and how to spend his time after his race-riding days ends. And for at least one more day, he stays a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three mounts at one of the globe's prestigious and glamorous events on the schedule.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old filly named Argine will be his final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event in which he registered his initial Breeders’ Cup win back in 1994. Her form at home in Japan suggests that she needs to find to figure, but few riders in history have ever excelled in big moments like Frankie Dettori.

For one final time, cue Frankie?