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It has been an exhilarating, glorious and at times bumpy ride, yet now, it appears the famed jockey's mind is made up. The most celebrated jockey of the past four decades is set to enter retirement after the main card during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to add a farewell top-tier victory to nearly 300 already in his record. Racing may not see a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Together with racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last half-century, “Frankie” registers with pretty much everyone, no surname required. People know who he is, even if they have absolutely no interest in what he does. In today's world which has become divided by social media and the internet, Dettori may well be the last racing figure that will ever experience such immediate brand recognition across a broad swathe of Britain's people.

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

A Hard-Won Celebrity

This is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for incidents on and off the track which have often pushed 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 on the card.

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from the burning wreckage of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident on takeoff in which the plane’s pilot was killed. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became front-page news.

While everyone admires a champion, they often love an imperfect hero and a return all the more. A six-month ban after a failed drug test for cocaine would have been the finish for most jockeys in their 40s, plenty of time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, suspension in December 2012 was a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and classic victors, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The celebrated successes and setbacks were an essential part of his narrative, up to and including the embarrassing confession this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and failed, to keep private.

There have been so many twists to the tale, indeed, that it's easy to forget that without Dettori’s immense, generational talent, there would have been no story at all.

Natural Ability

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

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. Back in 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also announced his emergence at the highest level with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same card that he would dominate without a loss just six years later. The famous flying dismount, copied from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the thrill from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Nor has the gift of sensing, with something akin to clairvoyance, where to sit, when to make a move and where openings will emerge.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It will not be easy to step away completely, regardless if Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to accept some mounts in South America, something that he always wanted to do”. This is not, after all, a goal that he has mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to accept the tax advice that resulted in his dispute with HMRC indicates that Dettori will not end his career with enough money saved up to kick back and take things 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. Dettori told Matt Chapman on At The Races on Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, very often. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, a genuine legend in the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When discussing great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie is that for 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 amuse audiences, he's here to work and he will be collaborate with us very closely. He will be involved in every area of our business though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Reality TV are another option, though previous appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity have tended to reveal a moodier side to Dettori’s character, beneath the cheerful public persona. In both programs, he was an early exit of the public vote.

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

The Final Ride

A five-year-old mare named Argine will be his final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race where he achieved his initial Breeders’ Cup win in 1994. Her form at home indicates that she needs to improve to compete, yet few jockeys historically have risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

For one final time, is it time for Frankie?