The Legendary Jockey: What Comes Next as Racing's Greatest Icon Steps Away?

It has been an exhilarating, magnificent and sometimes bumpy ride, but this time, it seems Frankie Dettori's mind is made up. The most storied jockey over the last 40 years is set to enter retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar this Saturday, where he has three opportunities to add a farewell top-tier victory to nearly 300 already in his record. Racing may not witness a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Together with Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck in the last 50 years, “Frankie” registers with almost everybody, no surname required. The public knows who he is, even if they possess no interest at all in his profession. In a world which has become fragmented by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori may well be the last racing figure who 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 an era when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted over 10 million audience members, and a three-year stint as a team leader was sufficient to cement 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 won the Flat jockeys’ title for the third and final time. As far as many in the UK, however, he has probably been the champion for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

It is, in many respects, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for events both on and off the track which have often pushed Dettori into the headlines, ever since the unforgettable afternoon at Ascot in 1996 when he overcame odds of 25,000-1 to ride all seven winners on the card.

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from the burning wreckage of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident on takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby victory in 2007, that too was headline news.

While everyone admires a champion, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a return all the more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the end of many riders in their forties, plenty of time for trainers and owners to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, his 2012 suspension served as a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and classic victors, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and lows were an essential part of his narrative, right up until the embarrassing confession in March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep private.

There were so many twists to the tale, in fact, that it can be easy to forget that without Dettori’s immense, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was clear from his earliest days as a teenage apprentice that he had a natural connection with the horses whenever Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Lester Piggott to reach 100 winners in a season, and also marked his arrival among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would dominate without a loss just six years later. The famous flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into Dettori’s repertoire in 1994, and the thrill from winning major races has never left him. Nor has the gift of knowing, with almost clairvoyance, where to sit, when to make a move and where the gaps will appear.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the public face of British racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, regardless if Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to take “a few rides in South America, something that he always wanted to do”. This is not, after all, a goal that he has mentioned until now.

However, the disastrous choice to accept the tax advice that led to his tax issues indicates that Dettori will not end his career with sufficient funds saved up to relax and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been appointed to a new position as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's growing Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman last Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, as well as being able to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, very often. I like the set-up – this is a young team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was effusive in his compliments for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, a genuine legend in the sport,” he stated. “When discussing elite athletes like LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelé and similar figures, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, 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 working with us very closely. He will participate in every area of our business [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 often showed a moodier side to Dettori’s character, behind the ebullient public persona. In both programs, he was an early exit due to viewer votes.

It's possible that Dettori himself does not really know what he will do and how to spend his time once 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 dazzling events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old mare called Argine will be his last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race where he achieved his initial Breeders’ Cup win back in 1994. Her performance in Japan in Japan suggests that she has something to find to figure, yet few jockeys historically have excelled in big moments like Lanfranco Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?