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It has been a thrilling, magnificent and sometimes rocky path, but this time, it seems the famed jockey's decision is final. The most celebrated jockey of the past four decades will effectively head into retirement following the primary events during the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three chances to secure one last Grade One winner to nearly 300 already in his record. Racing may not see a career quite like it again.

A Household Name

Alongside racing great Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck in the last half-century, “Frankie” registers with pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. The public knows who he is, even if they possess no interest at all in what he does. In today's world which has become fragmented by digital platforms and the internet, Dettori may well be the final equestrian personality who will ever enjoy such instant brand recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, after all, goes back to a time when the show A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in more than 10 million viewers, and a three-year stint as a team captain was sufficient to establish him as the lively, unforgettable figure of racing. His last year on the program came in 2004, which was also the year when he secured the Flat jockeys’ title for the third and last occasion. As far as much of the British public, however, he has likely been the top jockey for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

It is, in many ways, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for events on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly propelled Dettori into the headlines, ever since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to ride all seven winners that day.

In June 2000, he was pulled from the burning wreckage of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident on takeoff where the pilot was killed. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became headline news.

And if everyone loves a champion, they often love a flawed hero and a comeback even more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine would have been the end of many riders in their 40s, plenty of time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, however, suspension in December 2012 served as a bridge to a renewed association with trainer John Gosden at Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and classic victors, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and lows were an essential part of his narrative, right up until the humiliating admission in March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that Dettori tried, and failed, to keep confidential.

There have been so many twists in his story, indeed, that it can be 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 clear from his earliest days as a teenage apprentice that he had an instinctive rapport 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 a season, and also marked his emergence at the highest level with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge without a loss just six years later. The famous flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the buzz from winning major races has never left him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with almost clairvoyance, where to sit, when to strike and where the gaps will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the public face of UK horse racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, whether or not Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to take “a few rides in South America, which is something he always wanted to experience”. This is not, in fact, a goal that he had mentioned until now.

But the calamitous decision 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 it easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has 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 racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the main reason for his exit now, as well as being able to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances don’t come along, very often. I like the set-up – this is a young team with huge goals,” said the rider.

Joorabchian personally, 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,” Joorabchian said. “When you talk about great sportsmen like LeBron James, Currys, Lionel Messi and Pelés and similar figures, Frankie is that for horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you realize that he has influenced on so many lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he’s here to actually work and he will working with us very closely. He will participate in all aspects of our operations though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

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

It may be that Dettori personally does not really know what he'll do and how to spend his time once his race-riding days are over. And for another 24 hours at least, he remains a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three rides at one of the globe's prestigious and glamorous events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old mare called Argine will be Dettori’s last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event 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, but few riders in history have ever risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

For one final time, is it time for Frankie?