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The journey has been an exhilarating, magnificent and sometimes rocky path, but this time, it seems Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most storied jockey over the last 40 years is set to head into retirement after the main card during the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three chances to add a farewell top-tier victory to his almost 300 on his record already. The sport might not witness a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Together with Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck over the past half-century, “Frankie” registers with pretty much everyone, no surname required. The public knows who he is, even if they have absolutely no interest in what he does. In a world that has been fragmented by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori may well be the final equestrian personality that will ever enjoy such instant name-recognition across a broad swathe of Britain's people.

His entire career in horse racing, in fact, goes back to an era when the show A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million viewers, and a three-year stint as a team captain was more than enough to cement him as the lively, unforgettable figure of the sport. His final year on the show came in 2004, which was also the year when he secured the top jockey award for a third and final time. As far as many in the UK, however, he has probably been the champion for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

This is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for events on and off the racecourse which have often pushed Dettori onto the front pages, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he defied massive 25,000-1 odds to win all seven races on the card.

In June 2000, he was pulled from a fiery crash of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during 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 often love a flawed hero and a return even more. A half-year suspension after a failed drug test for cocaine would have been the end of most jockeys in their 40s, more than enough time for trainers and owners to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, however, suspension in December 2012 served as a bridge to a renewed association with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of winners and classic victors, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The celebrated successes and lows have been a crucial element of Dettori’s story, right up until the humiliating admission in March that he filed for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and failed, to keep private.

There were so many twists in his story, indeed, that it can be easy to overlook that absent Dettori’s immense, generational talent, there would have been no narrative whatsoever.

Natural Ability

It was evident from the start as a teenage apprentice that he had a natural connection with the horses when Dettori was on board.

Horses ran for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in a 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 added to Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the buzz from riding a big-race winner has always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with something akin to clairvoyance, where to sit, when to make a move and where openings will appear.

The Future Ahead

But what now for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, whether or not Dettori fulfils his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, which is something I’ve always wanted to experience”. It is not, in fact, a goal that he has mentioned until now.

But the calamitous decision 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.

Fresh Ventures

He has been appointed to a new position as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's growing Amo Racing operation. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races 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 like the set-up – this is a young team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new ambassador on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, he is a true legend in the sport,” he stated. “When discussing great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Currys, Lionel Messi and Pelé and people like that, Frankie represents that for horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he has influenced countless lives across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he's here to work and he will be collaborate with us very closely. He will be involved in all aspects of our business [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Reality TV are another option, although earlier outings on Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity often showed a moodier side to Dettori’s character, behind the ebullient public image. In both programs, he was an early exit due to viewer votes.

It's possible that Dettori himself is unsure what he will do and how to spend his time once his riding career ends. And for another one more day, he remains a top-level professional jockey, focused on three rides at one of the globe's prestigious and dazzling events on the schedule.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old mare called 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 in 1994. Her performance in Japan indicates that she needs to improve to compete, yet few jockeys historically have risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

For one final time, is it time for Frankie?