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It has been an exhilarating, magnificent and at times bumpy ride, but this time, it appears the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied jockey over the last 40 years is set to head into retirement following the primary events at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three chances to add a farewell top-tier victory to nearly 300 on his record already. The sport might not witness a career quite like it again.

A Household Name

Together with racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last half-century, Frankie Dettori registers with pretty much everyone, no surname required. People know who he is, even if they possess no interest at all in his profession. In a world which has become divided by social media and online networks, Dettori could be the last racing figure who will ever enjoy such instant name-recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in the sport, in fact, dates back to an era when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million viewers, and a three-year stint as a team leader was sufficient to establish him as the bubbly, unforgettable figure of the sport. His final year on the program was 2004, that was also the time when he won the top jockey award for the third and final time. For many in the UK, however, he has probably been the champion in most years after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

This is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for incidents both on and off the racecourse which have often pushed Dettori onto the front pages, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to win all seven races on the card.

In June 2000, he was pulled from the burning wreckage of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff where the pilot was killed. When he finally ended his quest for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became front-page news.

While everyone admires a winner, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a return even more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine would have been the finish for most jockeys in their forties, plenty of time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, however, his 2012 suspension served as a bridge to a revived partnership with trainer John Gosden at Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The celebrated successes and setbacks were a crucial element of Dettori’s story, right up until the embarrassing confession this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep confidential.

There were so many twists in his story, 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 his earliest days as a young apprentice that there was a natural connection with the horses when Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed for him, and improved for him. Back in 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also marked his arrival 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, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the buzz from winning major races has always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of sensing, with something akin to foresight, where to position, when to strike and where openings will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what now for the public face of UK horse racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, whether or not Dettori fulfils his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, something that he always wanted to do”. It is not, in fact, an ambition that he has mentioned until now.

However, the disastrous choice to accept the tax advice that led to his dispute with HMRC indicates that Dettori will not end his career with enough money saved up to relax and take it easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has already been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing operation. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races last Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, along with the chance to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities 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 is 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 you go into Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you realize that he has influenced on so many lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he's here to work and he will working with us closely. He will be involved in every area of our business [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Reality TV are another option, although earlier outings on Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity have tended to reveal a more somber aspect to Dettori’s character, beneath the cheerful public persona. In both programs, he was an early casualty due to viewer votes.

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 are over. And for another one more day, he remains a top-level 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 named Argine will be his final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race where he achieved his initial Breeders’ Cup win back in 1994. Her form at home in Japan suggests that she has something to improve to compete, yet few jockeys in history have ever risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

For one final time, is it time for Frankie?