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It has been an exhilarating, glorious and sometimes bumpy ride, yet now, it appears Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most storied rider over the last four decades is set to head into retirement after the main card during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to add a farewell Grade One winner to nearly 300 on his record already. The sport might not see a career like his ever again.

An Iconic Figure

Alongside Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck over the past half-century, “Frankie” registers with almost everybody, no surname required. People know who he is, even if they possess no interest at all in what he does. In today's world which has become divided by social media and the internet, Dettori may well 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 horse racing, after all, dates back to an era when A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million viewers, and his three-year role as a team captain was sufficient to establish him as the lively, unforgettable figure of the sport. His last year on the program was 2004, which was also the time when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for the 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-Earned Fame

It is, in many ways, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for incidents both on and off the racecourse which have often propelled Dettori into the headlines, since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to ride all seven winners on the card.

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

While everyone admires a champion, they often love a flawed hero and a return even more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine would have been the end of most jockeys in their 40s, plenty of time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, his 2012 suspension served as a bridge to a renewed association with trainer John Gosden in Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and classic victors, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and setbacks have been an essential part of Dettori’s story, up to and including the embarrassing confession this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep confidential.

There have been so many twists in his story, in fact, that it's easy to forget that without Dettori’s immense, once-in-a-generation skill, there would have been no narrative whatsoever.

Natural Ability

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

Horses ran for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in one season, and also announced his emergence at the highest level with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same card that he would dominate through unbeaten only six years later. The famous flying dismount, copied from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to 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 something akin to foresight, where to position, when to strike and where the gaps will emerge.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It will not be easy to step away completely, regardless if Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to accept some mounts in South America, which is something he always wanted to experience”. 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 dispute with HMRC indicates that he will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds saved up to kick back and take it easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has been appointed to a new position as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races last Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, very often. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with big ambitions,” said the rider.

Joorabchian, himself, was effusive in his compliments for his new ambassador on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, he is a true legend in the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When you talk about elite athletes like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelés and people like that, Frankie represents that for horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you realize that he’s made a big impact on so many lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he’s here to actually work and he will be collaborate with us closely. He will participate in all aspects of our operations [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Television reality shows is another possibility, although earlier outings on Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity have tended to reveal a more somber aspect to Dettori’s character, behind the ebullient public image. In both programs, he was an early casualty due to viewer votes.

It may be that Dettori personally does not really know what he'll do and how he will fill his time after his race-riding days are over. And for at least one more day, he stays a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three rides at one of the most prestigious and dazzling events in the calendar.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly called Argine will be Dettori’s last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race in which he registered his initial Breeders’ Cup win back in 1994. Her performance in Japan in Japan suggests that she needs to improve to compete, yet few jockeys historically have excelled in big moments like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?