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It has been a thrilling, glorious and at times rocky path, yet now, it appears Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most storied jockey of the past 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 opportunities to add a farewell Grade One winner to nearly 300 already in his record. The sport might not see a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Alongside Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck in the last 50 years, Frankie Dettori registers with pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. People know who he is, even if they possess absolutely no interest in what he does. In today's world that has been fragmented by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori may well be the last racing figure that will ever experience such immediate brand recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

His entire career in the sport, after all, dates back to a time when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted over 10 million viewers, and his three-year role as a team captain was sufficient to establish him as the bubbly, unforgettable figure of racing. His last year on the program was 2004, which was also the year when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and final time. As far as much of the British public, though, he has probably been the champion in most years since.

A Hard-Earned Fame

It is, in many ways, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for incidents on and off the racecourse which have often propelled Dettori into the headlines, since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he defied massive 25,000-1 odds to ride all seven winners that day.

Back in June 2000, he was pulled from the burning wreckage of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash on takeoff in which the plane’s pilot was killed. When at last ended his quest for a Derby winner in 2007, that too was headline news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they frequently adore an imperfect hero and a comeback 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 trainers and owners to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, his 2012 suspension was a bridge to a revived partnership with trainer John Gosden in Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and lows have been an essential part of his narrative, right up until the embarrassing confession this past March that he filed for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep private.

There were so many twists to the tale, in fact, that it's easy to overlook that without his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would have been no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was evident from the start 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 was the first teenager since Piggott to reach 100 winners in one season, and also announced his emergence at the highest level with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same day that he would dominate through unbeaten just six years later. His iconic flying dismount, copied from the American 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. Nor has the gift of sensing, with almost clairvoyance, where to position, when to make a move and where the gaps will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what now for the public face of British racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, regardless if Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to take “a few rides in South America, something that he always wanted to do”. This is not, after all, a goal that he has mentioned previously.

However, the disastrous choice to follow tax guidance that resulted in his tax issues means that he will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds saved up to kick back and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been confirmed in a new role as a “global ambassador” with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian's growing Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman last Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, along with the chance to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities are rare, frequently. I like the set-up – this is a young team with huge goals,” said the rider.

Joorabchian, himself, was effusive in his compliments for his new recruit at Del Mar on Thursday. “He is an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When discussing great sportsmen like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Messis and Pelés and people like that, Frankie is that to horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he has influenced on so many lives across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he’s here to actually work and he will collaborate 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 more somber aspect of his personality, beneath the cheerful public image. On both shows, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It's possible that Dettori himself is unsure what he'll do and how to spend his time after his riding career are over. And for another 24 hours at least, he stays an elite professional jockey, concentrating on three rides at one of the most prestigious and dazzling events on the schedule.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old mare named Argine will be Dettori’s final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race in which he registered his initial Breeders’ Cup win in 1994. Her performance in Japan in Japan suggests that she has something to find to figure, yet few jockeys in history have ever excelled in big moments like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?