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It has been a thrilling, magnificent and at times rocky path, but this time, it seems the famed jockey's decision is final. The most celebrated rider of the past four decades is set to head into retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three chances to add a farewell top-tier victory to nearly 300 already in his record. The sport might not see a career quite like it again.

An Iconic Figure

Alongside Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last half-century, Frankie Dettori registers with almost everybody, no surname required. People know who he is, even if they possess no interest at all in what he does. In a world that has been divided by social media and the internet, Dettori may well be the final equestrian personality that will ever experience such immediate name-recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

His entire career in horse racing, in fact, goes back to an era when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million audience members, and a three-year stint as a team leader was sufficient to establish him as the lively, irrepressible face of the sport. His final year on the program came in 2004, that was also the year when he secured the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and last occasion. For many in the UK, however, he has probably been the top jockey in most years after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

This is, in many respects, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for incidents both on and off the racecourse which have often propelled Dettori into the headlines, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame massive 25,000-1 odds to win all seven races on the card.

In June 2000, he was pulled from the burning wreckage of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, following an accident on takeoff where the pilot was killed. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became front-page news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they often love an imperfect hero and a return all the more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the finish for most jockeys in their forties, plenty of time for trainers and owners to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, his 2012 suspension was a bridge to a renewed association with trainer John Gosden in Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The celebrated successes and setbacks were a crucial element of Dettori’s story, right up until the embarrassing confession this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep private.

There were numerous turns to the tale, indeed, that it's easy to overlook that without his tremendous, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no narrative whatsoever.

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 in the saddle.

Horses ran for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to achieve 100 wins in a season, and also marked his emergence at the highest level with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge without a loss only six years later. The famous flying dismount, copied from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to his routine in 1994, and the buzz from winning major races has never left him. Nor has the gift of knowing, with almost clairvoyance, where to position, when to strike and where the gaps will appear.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, whether or not Dettori pursues his apparent desire to accept some mounts in South America, which is something he always wanted to do”. It is not, after all, an ambition 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 enough money saved up to kick back and take things easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has been appointed to a new position as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. Dettori told racing presenter Matt Chapman last Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, very often. I like the set-up – it's a youthful team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was effusive in his compliments for his new ambassador on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, he is a true legend in the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When you talk about elite athletes such as LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelés and people like that, Frankie represents that for horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he’s made a big impact on so many lives across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he’s here to actually work and he will working with us closely. He will participate in all aspects of our operations though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Television reality shows is another possibility, 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 casualty of the public vote.

It's possible that Dettori personally does not really know what he will do and how he will fill his time once his race-riding days ends. And for another one more day, he stays a top-level professional jockey, focused on three mounts at one of the most prestigious and glamorous events in the calendar.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly called Argine will be Dettori’s last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event where he achieved his first Breeders’ Cup success back in 1994. Her performance in Japan in Japan suggests that she has something to find to figure, but few riders in history have ever excelled in big moments like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?