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The journey has been an exhilarating, glorious and sometimes bumpy ride, yet now, it appears Frankie Dettori's mind is made up. The most celebrated rider over the last 40 years is set to enter retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, where he has three opportunities to add a farewell top-tier victory to his almost 300 on his record already. Racing may not see a career quite like it again.

A Household Name

Together with racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck over the past 50 years, Frankie Dettori registers with pretty much everyone, no surname required. People know his identity, even if they possess no interest at all in his profession. In today's world that has been fragmented by digital platforms and the internet, Dettori could be the last racing figure who will ever enjoy such instant brand recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, in fact, goes back to a time when A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million audience members, and his three-year role as a team captain was more than enough to cement him as the bubbly, unforgettable figure of the sport. His final year on the program came in 2004, which was also the year when he secured the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and last occasion. As far as many in the UK, though, he has probably been the top jockey 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 that have repeatedly propelled Dettori onto the front pages, ever since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he defied massive 25,000-1 odds to win all seven races that day.

In June 2000, he was rescued from the burning wreckage of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident on takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby victory in 2007, that too was headline news.

While everyone admires a champion, they often love an imperfect hero and a return even more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the end of many riders in their forties, plenty of time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, however, suspension in December 2012 was a bridge to a revived partnership with 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 celebrated successes and setbacks were an essential part of Dettori’s story, up to and including the embarrassing confession this past March that he filed for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a situation that Dettori tried, and did not succeed, to keep confidential.

There have been numerous turns in his story, indeed, that it can be easy to forget that absent Dettori’s immense, once-in-a-generation skill, there would have been no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was clear from the start as a teenage apprentice that there was an instinctive rapport between horse and rider when Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed 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 arrival 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. 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 always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with something akin to foresight, where to sit, when to make a move and where the gaps will emerge.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It won't be simple to step away completely, regardless if Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to accept some mounts in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to experience”. This is not, after all, an ambition that he had mentioned previously.

However, the disastrous choice to accept the tax advice that led to his dispute with HMRC means that Dettori will not end his career with sufficient funds in the bank to relax and take things easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been confirmed in a new role as a “global ambassador” with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing operation. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman last Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, along with the chance to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, very often. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, a genuine legend in the sport,” he stated. “When discussing elite athletes like LeBron James, Currys, Lionel Messi and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, 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 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 are another option, though previous appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity have tended to reveal a moodier side of his personality, beneath the cheerful public persona. In both programs, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It's possible that Dettori himself does not really know what he'll do and how he will fill his time after his riding career are over. And for another 24 hours at least, he stays a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three rides at one of the most prestigious and dazzling events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old filly named Argine will be Dettori’s final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race in which he registered his first Breeders’ Cup success back in 1994. Her performance in Japan indicates that she needs to improve to compete, yet few jockeys in history have ever risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

For one final time, cue Frankie?