🔗 Share this article

It has been a thrilling, glorious and at times rocky path, but this time, it seems Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most celebrated rider over the last 40 years is set to enter retirement following the primary events at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to secure one last Grade One winner to his almost 300 already in his record. Racing may not witness a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Alongside Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck over the past half-century, “Frankie” registers with pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. People know his identity, 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 last racing figure that will ever enjoy such instant brand recognition among a wide segment of Britain's people.

His entire career in the sport, in fact, dates back to an era when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million viewers, and his three-year role as a team leader was more than enough to establish him as the lively, irrepressible face of the sport. His last year on the show came in 2004, which was also the time when he secured the Flat jockeys’ title for the third and last occasion. As far as many in the UK, however, he has likely been the champion for many seasons since.

A Hard-Earned Fame

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

In June 2000, he was pulled from a fiery crash of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash on takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby victory in 2007, that also became front-page news.

While everyone admires a winner, they often love an imperfect hero and a return even 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 was a bridge to a renewed association with trainer John Gosden at Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The celebrated successes and lows were a crucial element of Dettori’s story, up to and including the humiliating admission this past March that he filed for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep private.

There have been so many twists in his story, indeed, that it's easy to overlook that absent Dettori’s immense, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no narrative whatsoever.

Natural Ability

It was evident from his earliest days as a young apprentice that he had an instinctive rapport with the horses whenever Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners in a 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, copied from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the buzz from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with almost foresight, where to sit, when to strike and where openings 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 pursues his expressed wish to take “a few rides in South America, something that I’ve 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 resulted in his dispute with HMRC indicates that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with enough money saved up to kick back and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been confirmed in a new role as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to 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. “Such chances are rare, very often. I like the set-up – it's a youthful team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit at Del Mar on Thursday. “He’s an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When discussing elite athletes such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelés and similar figures, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you realize that he’s made a big impact countless lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he’s here to actually work and he will be collaborate with us very closely. He will participate in all aspects of our operations though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Reality TV are another option, though previous appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … often showed a moodier side of his personality, beneath the cheerful public image. On both shows, he was an early casualty 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 after his riding career are over. And for another 24 hours at least, he stays an elite professional jockey, concentrating on three mounts at one of the most prestigious and glamorous events on the schedule.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly called Argine will be Dettori’s final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event where he achieved his first Breeders’ Cup success in 1994. Her form at home in Japan suggests that she needs to find to figure, yet few jockeys historically have excelled in big moments like Lanfranco Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?