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The journey has been an exhilarating, magnificent and sometimes bumpy ride, yet now, it seems the famed jockey's mind is made up. The most celebrated rider of the past four decades is set to head into retirement after the main card during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to secure one last Grade One winner to his almost 300 already in his record. 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. The public knows his identity, even if they have absolutely no interest in what he does. In a world that has been divided by digital platforms and the internet, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality who will ever experience such immediate brand recognition across a broad swathe of Britain's people.

His entire career in the sport, in fact, goes back to a time when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million audience members, and a three-year stint as a team captain was more than enough to cement him as the lively, unforgettable figure of racing. His final year on the show came in 2004, that was also the year when he secured the top jockey award for the third and last occasion. For much of the British public, however, he has likely been the champion for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

This is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for events both on and off the track that have repeatedly pushed Dettori into the headlines, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame massive 25,000-1 odds to ride all seven winners on the card.

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from the burning wreckage of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When at last ended his quest for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became headline news.

While everyone admires a winner, they often love a flawed hero and a return even more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine would have been the end of many riders in their forties, more than enough time for trainers and owners to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, though, his 2012 suspension was a bridge to a renewed association with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a fresh succession of champions and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The celebrated successes and lows have been an essential part of his narrative, up to and including the embarrassing confession in March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep confidential.

There have been so many twists in his story, indeed, 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 evident from the start as a teenage apprentice that there was a natural connection between horse and rider when Dettori was in the saddle.

Horses ran for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to achieve 100 wins in a season, and also marked his emergence among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge without a loss just six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the buzz from winning major races has never left him. Nor has the gift of sensing, with something akin to foresight, where to sit, when to strike and where openings will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what now for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, regardless if Dettori pursues his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to experience”. This is not, in fact, an ambition that he had mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to accept the tax advice that led to his tax issues means that he will not end his career with sufficient funds saved up to relax and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been appointed to a new position as a “global ambassador” with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian's burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman last Friday this was the primary reason for his exit now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances don’t come along, frequently. I appreciate the structure – it's a youthful team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new ambassador on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, he is a true legend of the sport,” he stated. “When discussing great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Messis and Pelé and people like that, Frankie represents that for horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you know that he has influenced 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 be collaborate with us closely. He will be involved in all aspects of our operations though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Television reality shows are another option, although earlier outings on Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity have tended to reveal a more somber aspect of his personality, beneath the cheerful public image. In both programs, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It's possible that Dettori himself is unsure what he'll do and how he will fill his time once his riding career are over. And for another one more day, he remains an elite professional jockey, focused on three mounts at one of the most prestigious and dazzling events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old mare named Argine will be Dettori’s last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event in which he registered his first Breeders’ Cup success in 1994. Her form at home in Japan suggests that she needs to improve to compete, but few riders historically have risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

For one final time, cue Frankie?