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It has been an exhilarating, glorious and at times bumpy ride, but this time, it appears Frankie Dettori's mind is made up. The most celebrated rider of the past 40 years is set to enter retirement after the main card during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, where he has three opportunities to secure one last Grade One winner to his almost 300 already in his record. The sport might not witness a career quite like it again.

A Household Name

Alongside Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last 50 years, “Frankie” registers with almost everybody, no surname required. The public knows who he is, even if they have absolutely no interest in his profession. In today's world that has been fragmented by social media and the internet, Dettori may well be the last racing figure that will ever enjoy such instant brand recognition among a wide segment of Britain's people.

His entire career in horse racing, after all, goes back to a time when the show A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million viewers, and his three-year role as a team leader was sufficient to establish him as the bubbly, irrepressible face of racing. His last year on the program was 2004, which was also the time when he secured the top jockey award for a third and final time. As far as much of the British public, though, he has probably been the top jockey for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many ways, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for events both on and off the track that have repeatedly pushed Dettori onto the front pages, ever since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to ride all seven winners on the card.

In June 2000, he was rescued from a fiery crash of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, following an accident on takeoff where the pilot was killed. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became headline news.

And if everyone loves a champion, 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 many riders in their 40s, plenty of time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, however, his 2012 suspension was a bridge to a renewed association with John Gosden at 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 a crucial element of Dettori’s story, up to and including the embarrassing confession in March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with tax authorities regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and failed, to keep confidential.

There were so many twists in his story, in fact, that it's easy to forget that absent his tremendous, generational talent, there would be no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

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

Horses ran for him, and got better under him. Back in 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to achieve 100 wins in one season, and also marked his arrival at the highest level with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same card that he would dominate through unbeaten only six years later. The famous flying dismount, copied 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 clairvoyance, where to sit, when to strike 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 finally let go, whether or not Dettori pursues his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, something that he always wanted to experience”. It is not, in fact, a goal that he had mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that resulted in his dispute with HMRC means that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with enough money saved up to kick back and take it easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has 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 on Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, along with the chance to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, very often. I appreciate the structure – it's a youthful team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian personally, was gushing in his praise 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, Lionel Messi and Pelés and similar figures, Frankie is that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he has influenced on so many lives across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he’s here to actually work and he will collaborate with us closely. He will be involved in every area of our operations [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Television reality shows are another option, 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 casualty of the public vote.

It may be that Dettori himself does not really know what he will do and how he will fill his time after his race-riding days are over. And for another 24 hours at least, he remains an elite professional jockey, concentrating on three mounts at one of the most prestigious and glamorous events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old mare named Argine will be his final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event 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 in history have ever risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?