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It has been an exhilarating, magnificent and at times bumpy ride, but this time, it appears Frankie Dettori's mind is made up. The most celebrated rider over the last 40 years will effectively enter retirement following the primary events at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three chances to secure one last Grade One winner to his almost 300 already in his record. The sport might not see a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Alongside racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last 50 years, “Frankie” is recognized by almost everybody, 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 may well be the last racing figure who will ever enjoy such instant brand recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

His entire career in the sport, after all, goes back to an era when A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million audience members, and his three-year role as a team captain was more than enough to cement him as the bubbly, irrepressible face of the sport. His last year on the show was 2004, which was also the year when he secured the Flat jockeys’ title for the third and last occasion. For many in the UK, though, he has probably been the champion in most years after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for events both on and off the track which have often propelled Dettori onto the front pages, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame massive 25,000-1 odds to ride all seven winners that day.

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from the burning wreckage of a light aircraft by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, after a crash on takeoff where the pilot was killed. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became front-page news.

While everyone admires a champion, they often love an imperfect hero and a return even more. A six-month ban after a failed drug test for cocaine would have been the end of most jockeys in their forties, more than enough time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, suspension in December 2012 served as a bridge to a renewed association with trainer John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of champions and classic victors, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and setbacks have been a crucial element of his narrative, right up until the embarrassing confession this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and failed, to keep private.

There have been numerous turns to the tale, in fact, that it can be easy to overlook that absent Dettori’s immense, generational talent, 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 between horse and rider when Dettori was in the saddle.

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in one season, and also announced his arrival at the highest level with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge without a loss only six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the thrill from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Nor has the gift of sensing, 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 British racing? It won't be simple to step away completely, regardless if Dettori pursues his expressed wish to take “a few rides in South America, which is something I’ve always wanted to experience”. It is not, after all, a goal that he had mentioned until now.

However, the disastrous choice to accept the tax advice that led to his dispute with HMRC indicates that he will not end his career with enough money saved up to relax and take things easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been appointed to a new position as an international ambassador with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian's growing Amo Racing operation. Dettori told Matt Chapman on At The Races on Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, as well as being able to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, frequently. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” he stated. “When discussing elite athletes like LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie represents that for horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he has influenced countless lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he’s here to actually work and he will working with us closely. He will be involved in every area of our operations though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Television reality shows is another possibility, although earlier outings on Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … often showed a moodier side of his personality, behind the ebullient public image. On both shows, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It's possible that Dettori personally is unsure what he'll do and how he will fill his time after his riding career are over. And for at least 24 hours at least, 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 performance in Japan indicates that she needs to improve to compete, but few riders in history have ever risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

For one final time, is it time for Frankie?