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It has been an exhilarating, magnificent and sometimes rocky path, yet now, it appears Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most celebrated rider over the last 40 years will effectively head into retirement following the primary events during 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 on his record already. Racing may not witness a career quite like it again.

An Iconic Figure

Alongside Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck in the last half-century, Frankie Dettori is recognized by pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. People know his identity, even if they possess no interest at all in his profession. In today's world that has been divided by social media and the internet, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality who will ever enjoy such instant name-recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, after all, dates back to an era when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million audience members, and a three-year stint as a team leader was sufficient to cement him as the bubbly, irrepressible face of racing. His last year on the show came in 2004, which was also the time when he secured the top jockey award for the third and final time. For many in the UK, however, he has probably been the top jockey in most years since.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

This is, in many ways, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for incidents 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 odds of 25,000-1 to ride all seven winners 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 where the pilot was killed. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby victory in 2007, that too was front-page news.

While everyone admires a winner, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a return all the more. A half-year suspension after a failed drug test for cocaine would have been the finish for many riders in their 40s, more than enough time for trainers and owners to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, though, suspension in December 2012 was a bridge to a renewed association with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a fresh succession of champions and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The celebrated successes and setbacks were an essential part of his narrative, right up until the humiliating admission this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities over unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep confidential.

There were so many twists to the tale, indeed, that it can be easy to forget that absent his tremendous, generational talent, there would be no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was evident from his earliest days as a young apprentice that he had a natural connection with the horses whenever Dettori was in the saddle.

Horses ran for him, and got better under him. Back in 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in one season, and also announced his arrival among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would dominate without a loss only 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 thrill from winning major races has always stayed with him. Nor has the gift of sensing, with something akin to foresight, where to sit, when to strike and where openings will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what next 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 take “a few rides in South America, which is something I’ve always wanted to do”. This is not, in fact, a goal that he had mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that resulted in his dispute with HMRC indicates that he will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds in the bank to relax and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been confirmed in a new role as a “global ambassador” with the soccer 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, along with the chance to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, frequently. I like the set-up – it's a youthful team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit at Del Mar on Thursday. “He is an icon, a genuine legend in the sport,” he stated. “When you talk about elite athletes like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelés and similar figures, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When visiting 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 entertain people, he's here to work and he will working with us closely. He will be involved in every area of our operations [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Reality TV are another option, though previous appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity often showed a more somber aspect 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 does not really know what he'll do and how to spend his time once his riding career are over. And for another one more day, he remains an elite professional jockey, focused on three mounts at one of the globe's prestigious and dazzling events on the schedule.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly named Argine will be his 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 form at home in Japan suggests that she has something to find to figure, yet few jockeys historically have risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?