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The journey has been an exhilarating, magnificent and at times bumpy ride, yet now, it appears the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied rider of the past four decades is set to head into retirement following the primary events during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, where he has three opportunities to secure one last Grade One winner to nearly 300 on his record already. Racing may not witness a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Alongside Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck in the last 50 years, Frankie Dettori is recognized by almost everybody, without needing a last name. The public knows who he is, even if they possess no interest at all in what he does. In today's world which has become fragmented by social media and the internet, Dettori could be the last racing figure that will ever experience such immediate name-recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

His entire career in the sport, after all, goes 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 more than enough to establish him as the bubbly, unforgettable figure of the sport. His last year on the show came in 2004, which was also the time when he won the top jockey award for a third and last occasion. For much of the British public, however, he has probably been the champion for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for incidents both on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly pushed Dettori into the headlines, since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he defied odds of 25,000-1 to ride all seven winners on the card.

In June 2000, he was pulled from the burning wreckage of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident on takeoff where the pilot was killed. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became front-page news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they frequently adore an imperfect hero and a comeback all the more. A half-year suspension after a failed drug test for cocaine could have been the end of many riders in their 40s, more than enough time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, however, his 2012 suspension served as a bridge to a revived partnership with trainer John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of winners and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The celebrated successes and lows have been an essential part of Dettori’s story, right up until the humiliating admission in March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities over unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and failed, to keep confidential.

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

Early Talent and Instincts

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

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. Back in 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also announced 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. His iconic 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 never left him. Neither has the talent of sensing, with almost clairvoyance, where to sit, when to make a move and where openings will appear.

The Future Ahead

But what now for the recognizable figure of British racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, whether or not Dettori pursues his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, which is something I’ve always wanted to experience”. This is not, after all, a goal that he had mentioned until now.

But the calamitous decision to accept the tax advice that led to his dispute with HMRC means that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds saved up to relax and take things easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has been appointed to a new position as an international ambassador with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian's growing Amo Racing operation. 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 finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities are rare, frequently. I like the set-up – this is a young 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 of the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When you talk about great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelés and people like that, Frankie is that to horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, 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 be working with us very closely. He will be involved in every area of our operations though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Television reality shows are another option, although earlier outings on Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … often showed a more somber aspect of his personality, behind the ebullient public persona. In both programs, he was an early exit of the public vote.

It may be that Dettori personally is unsure what he will do and how he will fill his time after his riding career are over. And for at least one more day, he remains an elite professional jockey, focused on three rides at one of the globe's prestigious and dazzling events in the calendar.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly 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 in 1994. Her form at home in Japan suggests that she has something to find to figure, but few riders in history have ever risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?