🔗 Share this article

It has been an exhilarating, glorious and sometimes rocky path, yet now, it seems the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied rider of the past four decades is set to head into retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar this 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 witness a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Alongside racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last half-century, “Frankie” is recognized by pretty much everyone, no surname required. The public knows his identity, even if they possess absolutely no interest in his profession. In today's world which has become fragmented by digital platforms and the internet, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality who 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 a time when the show A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in more than 10 million audience members, and his three-year role as a team captain was more than enough to establish him as the bubbly, irrepressible face of the sport. His final year on the show came in 2004, that was also the time when he won the top jockey award for the third and final time. As far as much of the British public, though, he has probably been the top jockey in most years after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many respects, a hard-won celebrity, a mixed blessing for incidents both on and off the track that have repeatedly propelled Dettori into the headlines, ever since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame massive 25,000-1 odds to ride all seven winners on the card.

Back in June 2000, he was pulled from the burning wreckage of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident on takeoff where the pilot was killed. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became headline news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a comeback even more. A six-month ban after a failed drug test for cocaine could have been the finish for many riders in their forties, more than enough time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, though, suspension in December 2012 was a bridge to a renewed association with John Gosden at Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and classic victors, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and lows were a crucial element of Dettori’s story, up to and including the humiliating admission in March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with tax authorities over unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and failed, to keep confidential.

There have been so many twists in his story, indeed, that it can be 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 whenever Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed for him, and improved for him. Back in 1990, he was the first teenager since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in one season, and also announced his arrival among the elite with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same card that he would charge without a loss just six years later. The famous flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to his routine in 1994, and the buzz from winning major races has always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with something akin to clairvoyance, where to position, when to make a move and where the gaps will emerge.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the public face of UK horse racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, whether or not Dettori pursues his expressed wish to take “a few rides in South America, something that he 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 sufficient funds in the bank to kick back and take things easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has been appointed to a new position as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s burgeoning Amo Racing operation. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races last Friday this was the primary reason for his exit now, as well as being able to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, frequently. I appreciate the structure – 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 is an icon, he is a true legend of the sport,” he stated. “When you talk about great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelés and similar figures, Frankie is that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you realize that he has influenced on so many lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he's here to work and he will collaborate with us closely. He will be involved in every area of our operations [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Television reality shows is another possibility, although earlier outings on Celebrity Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … often showed a moodier side to Dettori’s character, behind the ebullient public persona. In both programs, he was an early exit of the public vote.

It may be that Dettori himself does not really know what he will do and how to spend his time after his race-riding days are over. And for another one more day, 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 filly named Argine will be Dettori’s 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 form at home in Japan suggests that she needs to improve to compete, yet few jockeys historically have risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?