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It has been an exhilarating, magnificent and at times bumpy ride, yet now, it appears Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most storied jockey of the past four decades is set to head into retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to secure one last top-tier victory to nearly 300 already in his record. Racing may not witness a career quite like it again.

A Household Name

Alongside racing great Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck in the last 50 years, Frankie Dettori is recognized by almost everybody, no surname required. People know his identity, even if they possess absolutely no interest in what he does. In today's world which has become divided by social media and the internet, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality who will ever enjoy such instant name-recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

His entire career in horse racing, after all, goes back to an era when A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million audience members, and a three-year stint as a team leader was more than enough to establish him as the lively, irrepressible face of the sport. His last year on the program came in 2004, that was also the time when he won the top jockey award for a third and last occasion. As far as much of the British public, however, he has likely been the top jockey for many seasons since.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many respects, a hard-won celebrity, a mixed blessing for events both on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly propelled Dettori onto the front pages, ever 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 small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby victory in 2007, that too was headline news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they often love a flawed hero and a comeback even more. A half-year suspension after a failed drug test for cocaine could have been the finish for most jockeys in their forties, plenty of time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, suspension in December 2012 served as a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden at Newmarket, and a fresh succession of champions and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

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 filed for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep private.

There have been so many twists in his story, in fact, that it's easy to forget that absent Dettori’s immense, generational talent, there would have been no story at all.

Natural Ability

It was clear from the start as a teenage apprentice that he had a natural connection between horse and rider whenever Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed for him, and improved for him. Back in 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also announced his arrival among the elite 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 American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to his routine in 1994, and the thrill from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with almost foresight, where to sit, when to make a move and where the gaps will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the recognizable figure of British racing? It will not be easy to step away completely, whether or not Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to accept some mounts in South America, something that he always wanted to experience”. This is not, in fact, a goal that he had mentioned until now.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that led to his dispute with HMRC indicates that Dettori will not end his career with sufficient funds saved up to kick back and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

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 main reason for his exit now, along with the chance to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities are rare, frequently. I like the set-up – this is a young team with huge goals,” said the rider.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new ambassador at Del Mar on Thursday. “He’s an icon, he is a true legend in the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When you talk about great sportsmen like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Messis and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie is that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he’s made a big impact countless lives across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he's here to work and he will collaborate with us closely. He will be involved in every area of our operations though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Reality TV is another possibility, though previous appearances on Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity have tended to reveal a more somber aspect to Dettori’s character, behind the ebullient public persona. 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 he will fill his time once his race-riding days are over. And for another one more day, he stays a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three rides at one of the globe's prestigious and dazzling events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

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 initial Breeders’ Cup win in 1994. Her form at home indicates that she needs to find to figure, yet few jockeys historically have excelled in big moments like Lanfranco Dettori.

For one final time, cue Frankie?