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It has been a thrilling, glorious and at times bumpy ride, but this time, it seems the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied rider over the last four decades will effectively enter retirement following the primary events at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three chances to secure one last top-tier victory to his almost 300 on his record already. Racing may not see a career quite like it again.

An Iconic Figure

Alongside Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last half-century, Frankie Dettori is recognized by almost everybody, no surname required. The public knows who he is, even if they have no interest at all in his profession. In a world that has been fragmented by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality that will ever experience such immediate name-recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

His entire career in the sport, in fact, goes 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 lively, unforgettable figure of racing. His final year on the program came in 2004, that was also the time when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and last occasion. For much of the British public, though, he has likely been the top jockey for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many ways, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for events both on and off the track which have often propelled Dettori into the headlines, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he defied massive 25,000-1 odds to ride all seven winners that day.

In June 2000, he was pulled from a fiery crash of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash on takeoff where the pilot was killed. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became headline news.

While everyone admires a champion, they often love an imperfect hero and a return even more. A six-month ban after a failed drug test for cocaine would have been the finish for most jockeys in their forties, plenty of time for owners and trainers 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 fresh succession of champions and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and lows were a crucial element of Dettori’s story, right up until the humiliating admission in March that he filed for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and failed, to keep confidential.

There were so many twists to the tale, indeed, that it's easy to overlook that absent his tremendous, generational talent, there would be no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was clear from the start as a teenage apprentice that there was 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 arrival among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge without a loss just six years later. The famous flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the thrill from riding a big-race winner has always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with almost foresight, where to sit, when to strike and where openings will appear.

What Comes Next?

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

But the calamitous decision to accept the tax advice that resulted in his dispute with HMRC indicates that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds saved up to kick back and take things easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian's burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. Dettori told Matt Chapman on At The Races last Friday this was the main reason for his exit now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, frequently. I appreciate the structure – it's a youthful team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new ambassador at Del Mar on Thursday. “He’s an icon, he is a true legend in the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When discussing great sportsmen like LeBron James, Currys, Lionel Messi and Pelés and people like that, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he has influenced on so many lives across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he's here to work and he will collaborate with us very closely. He will participate in all aspects of our operations [but] he won’t be 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 of his personality, behind the ebullient public persona. In both programs, he was an early exit due to viewer votes.

It may be that Dettori himself is unsure what he'll do and how to spend his time once his race-riding days are over. 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 filly named Argine will be Dettori’s last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event in which he registered his initial Breeders’ Cup win in 1994. Her form at home in Japan suggests 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?