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It has been an exhilarating, magnificent and sometimes bumpy ride, but this time, it appears Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most storied rider of the past 40 years is set to head into retirement after the main card during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, where he has three chances to add a farewell top-tier victory to his almost 300 on his record already. Racing may not see a career like his ever again.

An Iconic Figure

Together with racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck over the past 50 years, Frankie Dettori registers with almost everybody, 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 divided by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality who will ever enjoy such instant name-recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in the sport, after all, goes back to an era when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted over 10 million viewers, and a three-year stint as a team captain was more than enough to establish him as the lively, unforgettable figure of the sport. His final year on the show came in 2004, which was also the time when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for the third and final time. As far as much of the British public, though, he has likely been the top jockey for many seasons since.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

This is, in many ways, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for events both on and off the track which have often propelled Dettori onto the front pages, ever since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he defied massive 25,000-1 odds to win all seven races that day.

Back in June 2000, he was pulled from a fiery crash of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff where the pilot was killed. When at last ended his quest for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became front-page news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they often love an imperfect hero and a comeback all the 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 seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, however, suspension in December 2012 served as a bridge to a renewed association with John Gosden at Newmarket, and a fresh succession of champions and classic victors, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and setbacks have been an essential part of Dettori’s story, right up until the embarrassing confession this past March that he filed for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a situation that Dettori tried, and failed, to keep private.

There have been numerous turns in his story, indeed, that it's easy to forget that absent his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would have been no story at all.

Natural Ability

It was clear from his earliest days as a teenage apprentice that he had an instinctive rapport between horse and rider whenever Dettori was on board.

Horses ran for him, and got better under him. Back in 1990, he became the first teen since Piggott to achieve 100 wins in a season, and also marked his emergence at the highest level with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would dominate through unbeaten only six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to his routine in 1994, and the thrill from riding a big-race winner has always stayed with him. Nor has the gift of sensing, with something akin to foresight, where to position, when to make a move and where openings will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what now for the public face of British racing? It won't be simple to step away completely, whether or not Dettori pursues his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to experience”. This is not, after all, an ambition that he has mentioned until now.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that led to 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 a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's growing Amo Racing operation. Dettori told Matt Chapman on At The Races on Friday this was the main reason for his exit now, along with the chance to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities are rare, very often. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

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 discussing elite athletes like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Messis and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie represents that for horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you realize 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 working with us very closely. He will be involved 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 … have tended to reveal a more somber aspect of his personality, behind the ebullient public image. In both programs, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It's possible that Dettori himself does not really know what he'll do and how to spend his time after his race-riding days ends. And for another 24 hours at least, he remains an elite professional jockey, focused on three mounts at one of the globe's prestigious and glamorous events in the calendar.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old mare called Argine will be his last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race where he achieved his first Breeders’ Cup success back 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 Frankie Dettori.

For one final time, is it time for Frankie?