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It has been a thrilling, magnificent and at times rocky path, yet now, it appears Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most celebrated rider of the past four decades is set to head into retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, where he has three chances to add a farewell top-tier victory to nearly 300 on his record already. The sport might not see a career quite like it again.

A Household Name

Together with Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck over the past 50 years, Frankie Dettori registers with almost everybody, without needing a last name. People know his identity, even if they possess absolutely no interest in his profession. In a world which has become fragmented by digital platforms and the internet, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality that will ever experience such immediate brand recognition across a broad swathe of Britain's people.

Dettori’s lifetime in the sport, after all, goes back to a time when the show A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million audience members, and his three-year role as a team captain was more than enough to cement him as the lively, irrepressible face of the sport. His last year on the program came in 2004, which was also the year when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and last occasion. As far as much of the British public, however, he has probably been the top jockey for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

This is, in many ways, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for events on and off the track that have repeatedly propelled Dettori onto the front pages, since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to win all seven races that day.

In June 2000, he was pulled from the burning wreckage of a light aircraft by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident 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 front-page news.

While everyone admires a winner, they frequently adore an imperfect hero and a return all the more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the end of most jockeys in their forties, more than enough time for trainers and owners to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, suspension in December 2012 was a bridge to a revived partnership with trainer John Gosden at Newmarket, and a new series of winners and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The celebrated successes and setbacks have been an essential part of Dettori’s story, up to and including the humiliating admission this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with tax authorities regarding unpaid taxes, a situation that Dettori tried, and failed, to keep confidential.

There were so many twists to the tale, indeed, that it's easy to overlook that without his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

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

Horses ran for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also marked his arrival at the highest level with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge through unbeaten just six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the American 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 something akin to foresight, where to sit, when to make a move and where the gaps will emerge.

The Future Ahead

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 accept some mounts in South America, which is something he always wanted to experience”. It is not, after all, an ambition that he had mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to accept the tax advice that resulted in his tax issues means that he will not end his career with enough money in the bank to relax and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races last 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 like the set-up – it's a youthful team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian personally, was gushing in his praise for his new ambassador on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” he stated. “When discussing great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Messis and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie is that to horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he has influenced countless lives worldwide.

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

Reality TV 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 persona. On both shows, he was an early exit of the public vote.

It may be that Dettori personally is unsure what he'll do and how to spend his time once his race-riding days are over. And for at least 24 hours at least, he stays an elite professional jockey, focused on three rides at one of the most prestigious and glamorous events on the schedule.

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 where he achieved his initial Breeders’ Cup win back in 1994. Her performance in Japan in Japan suggests that she needs to improve to compete, yet few jockeys in history have ever excelled in big moments like Lanfranco Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?