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The journey has been an exhilarating, glorious and at times rocky path, yet now, it seems Frankie Dettori's mind is made up. The most storied rider of the past four decades is set to 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 top-tier victory to his almost 300 already in his record. Racing may not see a career like his ever again.

An Iconic Figure

Alongside racing great Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck in the last half-century, Frankie Dettori registers with pretty much everyone, no surname required. The public knows his identity, even if they possess no interest at all in what he does. In a world which has become fragmented by social media and online networks, Dettori may well be the last racing figure that will ever enjoy such instant name-recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

His entire career in horse racing, after all, goes back to a time when A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million viewers, and his three-year role as a team leader was sufficient to cement him as the lively, irrepressible face of racing. His final year on the program was 2004, that was also the time when he secured the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and last occasion. As far as much of the British public, however, he has likely been the top jockey for many seasons since.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

This is, in many ways, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for incidents on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly pushed Dettori into the headlines, ever since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he defied massive 25,000-1 odds to ride all seven winners on the card.

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from the burning wreckage of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot was killed. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that too was headline news.

And if everyone loves a champion, they often love a flawed hero and a comeback all the more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine would have been the finish for most jockeys in their 40s, more than enough time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, however, his 2012 suspension served as a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of winners and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The celebrated successes and setbacks have been a crucial element of his narrative, right up until the humiliating admission this past March that he filed for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a circumstance that Dettori tried, and did not succeed, to keep private.

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

Natural Ability

It was clear from the start as a young apprentice that there was an instinctive rapport with the horses whenever Dettori was in the saddle.

Horses ran for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he became the first teen since Piggott to achieve 100 wins in one season, and also marked his emergence at the highest level with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge through unbeaten just six years later. The famous flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the buzz from winning major races has always stayed with him. Nor has the gift of sensing, with almost foresight, where to position, when to make a move and where the gaps will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what now for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, whether or not Dettori pursues his apparent desire to accept some mounts in South America, which is something he 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 led to his tax issues means that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with enough money saved up to relax and take things easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been appointed to a new position as an international ambassador with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing enterprise. Dettori told racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the primary reason for his exit now, as well as being able to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, very often. I appreciate the structure – it's a youthful team with big ambitions,” said the rider.

Joorabchian personally, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, he is a true legend of the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When you talk about great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelés and similar figures, Frankie is that to horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you know 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 actually work and he will collaborate with us very closely. He will be involved in every area 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 of his personality, beneath the cheerful public persona. On both shows, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

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

One Last Mount

A five-year-old filly called Argine will be Dettori’s final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race in which he registered his initial Breeders’ Cup win in 1994. Her form at home indicates that she needs to find to figure, but few riders in history have ever excelled in big moments like Frankie Dettori.

For one final time, is it time for Frankie?