🔗 Share this article The Legendary Jockey: What Comes Next as Racing's Biggest Star Exits the Stage? It has been a thrilling, glorious and sometimes rocky path, but this time, it appears the famed jockey's mind is made up. The most celebrated rider of the past four decades is set to enter retirement following the primary events at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, where he has three chances to add a farewell top-tier victory to his almost 300 already in his record. Racing may not see a career like his ever again. An Iconic Figure Alongside Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last 50 years, Frankie Dettori registers with almost everybody, without needing a last name. The public knows who he is, even if they possess absolutely no interest in what he does. In today's world that has been divided by digital platforms and online networks, 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, in fact, goes back to a time when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million audience members, and his three-year role as a team captain was more than enough to cement him as the lively, unforgettable figure of racing. His final year on the program was 2004, that was also the time when he secured the top jockey award for the third and final time. For much of the British public, however, he has probably been the top jockey in most years since. A Hard-Earned Fame It is, in many respects, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for incidents both on and off the track that have repeatedly propelled Dettori into the headlines, ever since the unforgettable afternoon 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 rescued from the burning wreckage of a light aircraft by fellow jockey, 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 too was front-page news. And if everyone loves a champion, they often love an imperfect hero and a return even more. A half-year suspension after a failed drug test for cocaine could have been the end of many riders in their forties, plenty of time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. 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 winners and classic victors, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius. Public Highs and Lows The public highs and setbacks were a crucial element of Dettori’s story, up to and including the embarrassing confession this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a situation that Dettori tried, and failed, to keep confidential. There were so many twists in his story, indeed, that it's easy to forget that without his tremendous, generational talent, there would be no narrative whatsoever. Natural Ability It was clear from the start as a young apprentice that there was an instinctive rapport with the horses when Dettori was on board. Horses ran for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in a season, and also announced his arrival at the highest level with a Group One double 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 incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the buzz from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Nor has the gift of knowing, with something akin to foresight, where to sit, when to strike and where the gaps will appear. The Future Ahead But what next for the public face of UK horse racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, regardless if Dettori fulfils his expressed wish to take “a few rides in South America, which is something he always wanted to do”. This is not, in fact, a goal that he has mentioned previously. However, the disastrous choice to follow tax guidance that led to his tax issues indicates that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds saved up to kick back and take it easy. New Role and Opportunities He has already been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing operation. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman last Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, along with the chance to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, frequently. I like the set-up – this is a young team with big ambitions,” said the rider. Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new ambassador at Del Mar on Thursday. “He’s an icon, a genuine legend in the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When discussing great sportsmen like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Messis and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie is that for horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you know that he has influenced on so many lives across the world. “He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he's here to work and he will working with us closely. He will be involved in all aspects of our operations [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.” Reality TV are another option, although earlier outings on Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity have tended to reveal a moodier side to Dettori’s character, behind the ebullient public image. On both shows, he was an early exit of the public vote. It may be that Dettori himself does not really know what he'll do and how he will fill his time once his race-riding days ends. And for at least 24 hours at least, he stays an elite professional jockey, concentrating on three mounts at one of the globe's prestigious and dazzling events on the schedule. One Last Mount A five-year-old filly named Argine will be his last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event in which he registered his first Breeders’ Cup success back in 1994. Her performance in Japan in Japan suggests that she has something to improve to compete, yet few jockeys in history have ever risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori. One last time, is it time for Frankie?