The Legendary Jockey: What Lies Ahead as Horse Racing's Greatest Icon Steps Away?

The journey has been a thrilling, magnificent and sometimes rocky path, but this time, it seems Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most celebrated rider of the past 40 years is set to enter retirement following the primary events during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to add a farewell top-tier victory to his almost 300 already in his record. Racing may not see a career quite like it again.

An Iconic Figure

Together with Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last half-century, “Frankie” is recognized by pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. People know who he is, even if they possess absolutely no interest in his profession. In today's world which has become fragmented by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality who will ever experience such immediate name-recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

His entire career in horse racing, after all, dates back to a time when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted 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 racing. His final year on the show was 2004, which was also the time when he won the top jockey award for the third and last occasion. For much of the British public, though, he has likely been the champion for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

This is, in many ways, a hard-won celebrity, a double-edged reward for incidents on and off the track which have often pushed Dettori into the headlines, since the unforgettable afternoon 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 light aircraft by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, following an accident during takeoff where the pilot was killed. When at last ended his quest for a Derby winner in 2007, that too was front-page news.

While everyone admires a champion, they often love a flawed hero and a return even more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine would have been the end of most jockeys in their forties, more than enough time for owners and trainers to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, however, suspension in December 2012 was a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a fresh succession of champions and classic victors, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and lows have been a crucial element of his narrative, up to and including the humiliating admission in March that he was filing for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that Dettori tried, and did not succeed, to keep confidential.

There were so many twists to the tale, indeed, that it can be easy to forget that without Dettori’s immense, once-in-a-generation skill, there would have been no narrative whatsoever.

Natural Ability

It was clear from the start as a young apprentice that there was a natural connection with the horses when Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in a season, and also announced his emergence among the elite with a Group One double at Ascot, on the same card that he would dominate without a loss just six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the buzz from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Neither has the talent of sensing, with almost foresight, where to sit, when to strike and where openings will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the public face of British racing? It won't be simple to finally let go, regardless if Dettori pursues his apparent desire to accept some mounts in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to do”. It 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 dispute with HMRC means that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds saved up to relax and take things easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has already been appointed to a new position as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's growing Amo Racing operation. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, along with the chance to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities are rare, very often. I like the set-up – this is a young team with big ambitions,” said the rider.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new recruit at Del Mar on Thursday. “He is an icon, a genuine legend of the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When you talk about great sportsmen such as LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelés and similar figures, Frankie is that for horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you realize that he’s made a big impact countless lives across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to entertain people, he’s here to actually work and he will be working with us very closely. He will be involved in all aspects of our operations [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 more somber aspect to Dettori’s character, beneath the cheerful public persona. On both shows, 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 24 hours at least, he stays an elite professional jockey, focused on three rides at one of the most prestigious and glamorous events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old mare called Argine will be Dettori’s final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race where he achieved his initial Breeders’ Cup win in 1994. Her form at home in Japan suggests that she needs to improve to compete, but few riders historically have risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

For one final time, is it time for Frankie?