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The journey has been a thrilling, magnificent and at times bumpy ride, yet now, it seems the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied jockey over the last four decades is set to head into retirement following the primary events during the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three chances to secure one last top-tier victory to his almost 300 already in his record. The sport might not see a career like his ever again.

An Iconic Figure

Together with Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck over the past 50 years, “Frankie” registers with almost everybody, no surname required. People know his identity, even if they have no interest at all in his profession. In a world which has become divided by social media 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, dates back to a time when the show A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million viewers, and his three-year role as a team captain was sufficient to establish him as the bubbly, unforgettable figure of the sport. His last year on the show came in 2004, that was also the year when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and last occasion. For many in the UK, though, he has probably been the top jockey in most years since.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

This is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for incidents both on and off the track that have repeatedly 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 that day.

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from a fiery crash of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff where the pilot was killed. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became front-page news.

While everyone admires a champion, they often love a flawed hero and a return all the more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the end of many riders in their 40s, plenty of time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, however, suspension in December 2012 served as a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of champions and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and setbacks have been a crucial element of his narrative, 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 private.

There were numerous turns in his story, in fact, that it can be easy to forget that without his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would have been no narrative whatsoever.

Natural Ability

It was evident from the start as a teenage apprentice that there was an instinctive rapport with the horses when Dettori was in the saddle.

Horses ran for him, and improved for him. Back in 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in a season, and also marked his emergence among the elite with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge without a loss just six years later. The famous flying dismount, copied 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. Nor has the gift of sensing, with something akin to clairvoyance, where to position, when to strike and where the gaps will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the public face of British racing? It will not be easy to step away completely, whether or not Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to take “a few rides in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to do”. This is not, in fact, an ambition that he had mentioned until now.

However, the disastrous choice to accept the tax advice that led to his dispute with HMRC means that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with enough money in the bank to relax and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's burgeoning Amo Racing operation. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races on Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities are rare, frequently. 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 at Del Mar on Thursday. “He is an icon, he is a true legend in the sport,” he stated. “When you talk about great sportsmen like LeBron James, Currys, Lionel Messi and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie is that for horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he has influenced countless lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he’s here to actually work and he will working 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, though previous appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … have tended to reveal a moodier side to Dettori’s character, beneath the cheerful public persona. On both shows, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It may be that Dettori himself is unsure what he will do and how he will fill his time once his race-riding days ends. And for another 24 hours at least, he remains an elite professional jockey, concentrating on three mounts at one of the globe's prestigious and glamorous events in the calendar.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old mare named Argine will be Dettori’s final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event in which he registered his first Breeders’ Cup success in 1994. Her performance in Japan in Japan suggests that she needs to improve to compete, but few riders historically have risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?