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The journey has been a thrilling, magnificent and sometimes bumpy ride, yet now, it appears the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied jockey of the past 40 years is set to enter retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to add a farewell Grade One winner to nearly 300 on his record already. Racing may not witness a career like his ever again.

An Iconic Figure

Alongside Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck in the last 50 years, Frankie Dettori is recognized by almost everybody, without needing a last name. People know his identity, even if they possess absolutely no interest in what he does. In today's world which has become fragmented by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori could be the last racing figure that will ever experience such immediate brand recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, after all, goes back to an era when the show A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in more than 10 million audience members, and his three-year role as a team leader was more than enough to establish him as the lively, irrepressible face of the sport. His final year on the program was 2004, which was also the time when he secured the top jockey award for the third and final time. For many in the UK, though, 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 mixed blessing for incidents on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly propelled Dettori into the headlines, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame massive 25,000-1 odds to win all seven races that day.

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

And if everyone loves a champion, they often love a flawed hero and a return even more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the finish for many riders in their forties, plenty of time for trainers and owners to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, though, suspension in December 2012 was a bridge to a revived partnership with trainer John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of winners and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The celebrated successes and setbacks have been a crucial element of Dettori’s story, up to and including the embarrassing confession in March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with tax authorities over unpaid taxes, a situation that Dettori tried, and failed, to keep confidential.

There were so many twists in his story, indeed, that it can be easy to forget that without Dettori’s immense, generational talent, there would have been no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was clear from his earliest days as a young apprentice that he had a natural connection between horse and rider whenever Dettori was in the saddle.

Horses ran for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in a 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. His iconic flying dismount, adopted 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. Neither has the talent of knowing, with something akin to clairvoyance, where to position, when to strike and where the gaps will appear.

What Comes Next?

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

However, the disastrous choice to follow tax guidance that resulted in his tax issues means that Dettori will not end his career with enough money saved up to kick back and take things 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 growing Amo Racing operation. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races last Friday this was the main reason for his exit now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities are rare, very often. I like the set-up – it's a youthful team with huge goals,” said the rider.

Joorabchian, himself, was effusive in his compliments for his new ambassador at Del Mar on Thursday. “He’s an icon, a genuine legend in the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When you talk about elite athletes like LeBron James, Currys, Lionel Messi and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie represents that for horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you know that he’s made a big impact countless lives across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he’s here to actually work and he will be collaborate with us very closely. He will participate in every area of our business though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Reality TV is another possibility, though previous appearances on Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity have tended to reveal a moodier side of his personality, beneath the cheerful public persona. On both shows, he was an early casualty due to viewer votes.

It may be that Dettori personally does not really know what he'll do and how to spend his time after his race-riding days ends. 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 dazzling events in the calendar.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old mare called Argine will be his final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event in which he registered his initial Breeders’ Cup win back in 1994. Her form at home indicates that she has something to improve to compete, but few riders in history have ever risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?