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The journey has been a thrilling, magnificent and at times bumpy ride, but this time, it appears Frankie Dettori's mind is made up. The most celebrated rider of the past four decades will effectively head into retirement following the primary events during the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar this Saturday, where he has three chances to add a farewell Grade One winner to nearly 300 on his record already. 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 half-century, “Frankie” registers with almost everybody, without needing a last name. People know his identity, even if they have no interest at all in his profession. In today's world that has been divided by social media and the internet, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality that will ever experience such immediate name-recognition across a broad swathe of Britain's people.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, after all, goes back to a time when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million viewers, and a three-year stint as a team captain was more than enough to establish him as the bubbly, unforgettable figure of racing. His last year on the show came in 2004, that was also the year when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for the third and last occasion. For many in the UK, 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 incidents both on and off the track which have often propelled Dettori onto the front pages, ever since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to win all seven races on the card.

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

While everyone admires a winner, they frequently adore an imperfect hero and a comeback even more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the finish for most jockeys in their forties, more than enough time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, however, his 2012 suspension was a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of winners and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and setbacks were an essential part of his narrative, right up until the humiliating admission this past March that he filed for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that Dettori tried, and failed, to keep private.

There have been numerous turns to the tale, indeed, that it can be easy to overlook that absent his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

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

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also marked his emergence among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would dominate through unbeaten just six years later. His iconic flying dismount, copied from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the buzz from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Nor has the gift of sensing, with something akin to foresight, where to sit, when to make a move and where openings will emerge.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the public face of British racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, whether or not Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to take “a few rides in South America, which is something I’ve always wanted to experience”. It is not, in fact, a goal that he has mentioned previously.

However, the disastrous choice to accept the tax advice that resulted in his tax issues means that Dettori will not end his career with enough money saved up to kick back and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been appointed to a new position as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. Dettori told Matt Chapman on At The Races on Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, along with the chance to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances don’t come along, very often. I like the set-up – this is a young team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit at Del Mar on Thursday. “He is an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When discussing great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelés 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 actually work and he will be working with us very closely. He will participate in all aspects of our business [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Television reality shows 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. On both shows, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It may be that Dettori himself 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 stays a top-level professional jockey, focused on three rides at one of the most prestigious and dazzling events on the schedule.

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 initial Breeders’ Cup win in 1994. Her form at home in Japan suggests that she has something to find to figure, but few riders in history have ever risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

For one final time, is it time for Frankie?