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It has been a thrilling, magnificent and sometimes rocky path, but this time, it appears Frankie Dettori's mind is made up. The most celebrated jockey over the last 40 years is set to enter retirement following the primary events at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar this Saturday, where he has three opportunities to add a farewell Grade One winner to his almost 300 on his record already. Racing may not see a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Together with racing great Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck in the last 50 years, Frankie Dettori registers with pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. The public knows his identity, even if they have no interest at all in what he does. In today's world which has become fragmented by social media and the internet, Dettori may well be the last racing figure that will ever experience such immediate name-recognition across a broad swathe of Britain's people.

His entire career in the sport, after all, dates back to a time when A Question Of Sport often attracted over 10 million viewers, and a three-year stint as a team captain was sufficient to establish him as the lively, irrepressible face of the sport. His last year on the show was 2004, which was also the year when he won the top jockey award for a third and last occasion. For many in the UK, however, he has probably been the champion in most years since.

A Hard-Earned Fame

This is, in many ways, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for incidents both on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly pushed Dettori onto the front pages, 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 the burning wreckage of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff where the pilot lost his life. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became headline news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a comeback all the more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the end of many riders in their 40s, plenty of time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, however, suspension in December 2012 served as a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden at Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The celebrated successes and lows were a crucial element of his narrative, up to and including the embarrassing confession in March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep private.

There have been so many twists to the tale, in fact, that it's easy to forget that without Dettori’s immense, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was clear from the start as a teenage apprentice that he had an instinctive rapport with the horses whenever Dettori was in the saddle.

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. Back in 1990, he became the first teen since Piggott to reach 100 winners in one season, and also announced his arrival at the highest level with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge through unbeaten just six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the thrill from riding a big-race winner has always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with almost clairvoyance, where to sit, when to make a move and where openings will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what now for the recognizable figure of British racing? It won't be simple to step away completely, whether or not Dettori pursues his apparent desire to take “a few rides in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to do”. This is not, in fact, an ambition that he has mentioned until now.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that led to his tax issues means that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with enough money in the bank to relax and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been confirmed in a new role as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's growing Amo Racing enterprise. Dettori told racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the primary reason for his exit now, along with the chance to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, very often. I like the set-up – it's a youthful team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian personally, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit at Del Mar on Thursday. “He’s an icon, he is a true legend of the sport,” he stated. “When you talk about elite athletes such as LeBron James, Currys, Lionel Messi and Pelés and people like that, Frankie is that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you know that he’s made a big impact countless lives across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he's here to work and he will 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 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 exit due to viewer votes.

It's possible that Dettori personally 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 24 hours at least, he stays a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three rides at one of the most prestigious and dazzling events on the schedule.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old mare called Argine will be his final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race in which he registered his initial Breeders’ Cup win back in 1994. Her performance in Japan indicates that she needs to find to figure, yet few jockeys in history have ever excelled in big moments like Frankie Dettori.

For one final time, is it time for Frankie?