The Legendary Jockey: What Lies Ahead as Racing's Biggest Star Steps Away?

It has been a thrilling, glorious and at times rocky path, yet now, it seems the famed jockey's mind is made up. The most celebrated rider of the past 40 years is set to head into retirement following the primary events at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to secure one last top-tier victory to nearly 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 Dettori is recognized by pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. People know who he is, even if they possess no interest at all in his profession. In today's world which has become fragmented by social media and online networks, Dettori could be the last racing figure that will ever experience such immediate name-recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in the sport, after all, dates back to an era when A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million viewers, and a three-year stint as a team captain was sufficient to establish him as the bubbly, irrepressible face of the sport. His final year on the program was 2004, which was also the year when he secured the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and last occasion. For much of the British public, though, he has likely been the top jockey for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many ways, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for events on and off the racecourse which have often pushed Dettori into the headlines, since the unforgettable afternoon 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 the burning wreckage of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, following an accident during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot was killed. When he finally ended his quest for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became headline news.

While everyone admires a champion, they often love an imperfect hero and a comeback even more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the end of many riders in their 40s, more than enough time for trainers and owners to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, though, suspension in December 2012 served as a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a fresh succession of champions and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The celebrated successes and setbacks were a crucial element of his narrative, up to and including the humiliating admission this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a situation that Dettori tried, and did not succeed, to keep private.

There have been so many twists in his story, in fact, that it's easy to forget that absent Dettori’s immense, once-in-a-generation skill, there would have been no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was evident from his earliest days as a teenage apprentice that he had a natural connection between horse and rider when Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed 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 marked his arrival among the elite with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge without a loss just six years later. The famous flying dismount, copied from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was added to his routine in 1994, and the thrill from winning major races has never left him. Nor has the gift of knowing, with almost foresight, where to sit, when to make a move and where the gaps will appear.

What Comes Next?

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 apparent desire to accept some mounts in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to experience”. 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 dispute with HMRC indicates that he will not end his career with enough money saved up to relax and take things easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has already been appointed to a new position as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races last Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, as well as being able to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, frequently. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was effusive in his compliments for his new recruit at Del Mar on Thursday. “He’s an icon, he is a true legend of the sport,” he stated. “When discussing great sportsmen like LeBron James, Currys, Lionel Messi and Pelés and people like that, Frankie is 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 entertain people, he’s here to actually work and he will be collaborate with us very closely. He will participate in all aspects of our business though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Reality TV are another option, though previous appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … often showed a more somber aspect to Dettori’s character, behind the ebullient public persona. On both shows, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It's possible that Dettori himself is unsure what he will do and how he will fill his time after his race-riding days are over. And for another 24 hours at least, he remains a top-level professional jockey, focused on three rides 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 Dettori’s final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event in which he registered his initial Breeders’ Cup win in 1994. Her form at home indicates that she needs to find to figure, but few riders in history have ever excelled in big moments like Lanfranco Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?