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The journey has been a thrilling, magnificent and at times rocky path, yet now, it seems the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied jockey over the last 40 years will effectively enter retirement after the main card during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, where he has three chances to secure one last top-tier victory to his almost 300 on his record already. Racing may not witness a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Alongside Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last half-century, “Frankie” registers with pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. People know his identity, even if they have absolutely no interest in what he does. In today's world that has been fragmented by social media and the internet, Dettori may well be the last racing figure who will ever enjoy such instant brand recognition across a broad swathe of Britain's people.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, in fact, dates back to an era when A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million viewers, and a three-year stint as a team leader was more than enough to cement him as the bubbly, irrepressible face of racing. His last year on the program came in 2004, which was also the time when he won 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 in most years since.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

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

In June 2000, he was pulled from a fiery crash of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash on takeoff in which the plane’s pilot was killed. When at last ended his quest for a Derby victory in 2007, that too was headline news.

While everyone admires a champion, they often love a flawed hero and a comeback even more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the finish for most jockeys in their 40s, more than enough time for trainers and owners to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, however, his 2012 suspension was a bridge to a renewed association with trainer John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of champions and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and lows were a crucial element of his narrative, up to and including the humiliating admission this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and failed, to keep confidential.

There were so many twists in his story, indeed, that it's easy to forget that absent his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no narrative whatsoever.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was evident from the start as a teenage apprentice that he had a natural connection between horse and rider whenever Dettori was in the saddle.

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he became the first teen since Piggott to reach 100 winners in one season, and also announced his emergence at the highest level with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge through unbeaten only six years later. His iconic flying dismount, copied from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to his routine in 1994, and the thrill from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Nor has the gift of knowing, with almost clairvoyance, where to position, when to strike and where the gaps will emerge.

The Future Ahead

But what now for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, whether or not Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to accept some mounts in South America, which is something he always wanted to do”. It is not, in fact, an ambition that he has mentioned until now.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that resulted in his tax issues indicates that Dettori will not end his career with enough money saved up to relax and take things easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's growing Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, as well as being able to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances don’t come along, frequently. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with big ambitions,” said the rider.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new ambassador at Del Mar on Thursday. “He’s an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When you talk about great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelés and similar figures, Frankie is that for horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he’s made a big impact countless lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he's here to work and he will collaborate with us very closely. He will participate in every area of our operations [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 more somber aspect to Dettori’s character, behind the ebullient public image. On both shows, he was an early casualty due to viewer votes.

It may be that Dettori himself 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 stays an elite professional jockey, focused on three rides at one of the globe's prestigious and glamorous events on the schedule.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly named Argine will be his 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 indicates that she has something to improve to compete, yet few jockeys in history have ever risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?