🔗 Share this article

The journey has been an exhilarating, magnificent and sometimes rocky path, yet now, it appears Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most celebrated rider over the last four decades is set to enter retirement following the primary events at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to add a farewell top-tier victory to nearly 300 already in his record. The sport might not witness a career like his ever again.

An Iconic Figure

Alongside Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck over the past 50 years, Frankie Dettori is recognized by pretty much everyone, no surname required. People know his identity, even if they have no interest at all in his profession. In today's world which has become divided by social media and the internet, Dettori may well be the last racing figure who will ever experience such immediate name-recognition among a wide segment of Britain's people.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, after all, dates back to an era when A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million audience members, and his three-year role as a team captain was sufficient to establish him as the lively, irrepressible face of the sport. His last year on the show came in 2004, which was also the year when he secured the top jockey award for the third and last occasion. For many in the UK, however, he has probably been the top jockey for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

This is, in many ways, a hard-earned fame, a mixed blessing for events both on and off the track that have repeatedly propelled Dettori into the headlines, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he defied massive 25,000-1 odds to win all seven races that day.

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from a fiery crash of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff where the pilot lost his life. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became front-page news.

And if everyone loves a champion, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a return even more. A six-month ban 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, suspension in December 2012 was a bridge to a renewed association with John Gosden in 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 have been an essential part of Dettori’s story, up to and including the embarrassing confession this past March that he filed for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a situation that Dettori tried, and did not succeed, to keep private.

There have been so many twists to the tale, in fact, that it can be easy to forget that without Dettori’s immense, generational talent, there would have been no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was clear from the start as a teenage apprentice that there was an instinctive rapport between horse and rider when Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners in one 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. The famous 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 never left him. Nor has the gift of knowing, with almost clairvoyance, where to sit, when to strike and where openings will emerge.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, whether or not 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 had mentioned previously.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that led to his tax issues indicates that he will not end his career with enough money saved up to kick back and take things easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been confirmed in a new role as a “global ambassador” with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s burgeoning Amo Racing operation. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, along with the chance to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, frequently. I like the set-up – this is a young team with huge goals,” 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 of the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When you talk about great sportsmen like LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelé 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 working with us closely. He will be involved in all aspects of our business [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Reality TV is another possibility, though previous appearances on Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … often showed a more somber aspect of his personality, behind the ebullient public persona. On both shows, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It may be that Dettori personally is unsure what he'll do and how to spend his time once his race-riding days ends. And for another 24 hours at least, he stays an elite professional jockey, concentrating on three rides at one of the globe's prestigious and glamorous events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old mare called Argine will be Dettori’s last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race in which he registered his first Breeders’ Cup success back in 1994. Her form at home in Japan suggests that she has something to improve to compete, but few riders historically have excelled in big moments like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?