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The journey has been a thrilling, glorious and sometimes bumpy ride, yet now, it appears the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied jockey of the past four decades is set to head into retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup at 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 see a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Together with racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last half-century, Frankie Dettori is recognized by almost everybody, no surname required. People know his identity, even if they have no interest at all in his profession. In today's world that has been fragmented by digital platforms and the internet, Dettori may well be the last racing figure that will ever enjoy such instant brand recognition among a wide segment of Britain's people.

Dettori’s lifetime in the sport, in fact, dates back to a time when A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million viewers, and his three-year role as a team captain was sufficient to cement him as the bubbly, irrepressible face of the sport. His final year on the program came in 2004, which was also the time when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and last occasion. As far as many in the UK, however, he has likely been the champion for many seasons since.

A Hard-Earned Fame

This is, in many respects, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for incidents on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly propelled Dettori onto the front pages, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he defied odds of 25,000-1 to ride all seven winners that day.

In June 2000, he was rescued from a fiery crash of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident on takeoff where the pilot lost his life. When at last ended his quest for a Derby winner in 2007, that too was headline news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they often love a flawed hero and a return even more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the finish for most jockeys in their forties, more than enough time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, however, his 2012 suspension was a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of winners and classic victors, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The celebrated successes and setbacks have been an essential part of his narrative, right up until the humiliating admission in March that he filed for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities regarding unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and failed, to keep confidential.

There were so many twists to the tale, indeed, that it's easy to overlook that without his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no narrative whatsoever.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was evident from the start as a young apprentice that there was an instinctive rapport between horse and rider whenever Dettori was on board.

Horses ran 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 among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would dominate through unbeaten just six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to his routine in 1994, and the thrill from riding a big-race winner has always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with something akin to foresight, where to sit, 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 finally let go, regardless if Dettori pursues his apparent desire to take “a few rides in South America, which is something I’ve always wanted to experience”. This is not, after all, an ambition that he has mentioned until now.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that led to his dispute with HMRC means that Dettori will not end his career with sufficient funds in the bank to relax and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian's growing Amo Racing enterprise. Dettori told Matt Chapman on At The Races on Friday this was the main reason for his exit now, along with the chance to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities are rare, very often. I like the set-up – it's a youthful team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” he stated. “When discussing elite athletes 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’s made a big impact on so many lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he’s here to actually work and he will collaborate with us very closely. He will participate in every area of our operations [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Television reality shows 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 persona. In both programs, he was an early exit due to viewer votes.

It may be that Dettori personally is unsure what he will do and how he will fill his time after his race-riding days are over. And for another one more day, he remains a top-level professional jockey, focused on three mounts at one of the globe's prestigious and dazzling events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old mare called Argine will be Dettori’s final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event where he achieved his initial Breeders’ Cup win back in 1994. Her form at home indicates that she needs to improve to compete, yet few jockeys historically have excelled in big moments like Lanfranco Dettori.

For one final time, is it time for Frankie?