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The journey has been an exhilarating, glorious and sometimes rocky path, but this time, it appears the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied rider of the past four decades is set to enter retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to secure one last top-tier victory to nearly 300 on his record already. The sport might not witness a career like his ever again.

An Iconic Figure

Together with Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last half-century, “Frankie” registers with pretty much everyone, no surname required. People know his identity, even if they have no interest at all in his profession. In a world that has been divided by social media and online networks, Dettori may well be the last racing figure that will ever experience such immediate brand recognition among a wide segment of Britain's people.

Dettori’s lifetime in the sport, in fact, dates back to a time when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted over 10 million audience members, and a three-year stint as a team leader was more than enough to establish him as the bubbly, irrepressible face of the sport. 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 final time. As far as many in the UK, however, he has probably been the champion in most years since.

A Hard-Earned Fame

It is, in many respects, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for incidents on and off the racecourse which have often propelled Dettori into the headlines, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to win all seven races on the card.

Back in June 2000, he was pulled from the burning wreckage of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff where the pilot lost his life. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became headline news.

While everyone admires a winner, they often love an imperfect hero and a comeback even more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the finish for most jockeys in their forties, more than enough time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, however, suspension in December 2012 served as a bridge to a revived partnership with trainer John Gosden in Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and classic victors, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The celebrated successes and lows were an essential part of his narrative, up to and including the embarrassing confession this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a situation that Dettori tried, and did not succeed, to keep confidential.

There were numerous turns in his story, in fact, that it's easy to overlook that absent Dettori’s immense, once-in-a-generation skill, there would have been no story at all.

Natural Ability

It was clear from the start as a teenage apprentice that there was a natural connection with the horses when Dettori was in the saddle.

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to achieve 100 wins in one season, and also marked his arrival among the elite with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same card that he would charge through unbeaten just six years later. The famous flying dismount, adopted from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to his routine in 1994, and the buzz from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with almost foresight, where to position, when to make a move and where openings will emerge.

The Future Ahead

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

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that led to his tax issues means that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds saved up to kick back 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 growing Amo Racing operation. Dettori told racing presenter Matt Chapman last Friday this was the primary reason for his exit now, as well as being able to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, very often. I like the set-up – it's a youthful team with big ambitions,” said the rider.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, he is a true legend in the sport,” he stated. “When discussing elite athletes such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Messis and Pelés and similar figures, Frankie is that to horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he’s made a big impact on so many lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he's here to work and he will working with us very closely. He will be involved in all aspects of our operations [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Reality TV is another possibility, although earlier outings on Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … have tended to reveal a moodier side of his personality, behind the ebullient public image. In both programs, he was an early exit due to viewer votes.

It's possible that Dettori himself does not really know what he'll do and how to spend his time after his riding career are over. And for at least one more day, he remains an elite professional jockey, concentrating on three rides at one of the globe's prestigious and glamorous events on the schedule.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old filly called Argine will be his final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event in which he registered his first Breeders’ Cup success in 1994. Her form at home indicates that she has something to improve to compete, yet few jockeys in history have ever risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

For one final time, is it time for Frankie?