Frankie Dettori: What Comes Next as Racing's Greatest Icon Steps Away?

It has been a thrilling, glorious and sometimes rocky path, but this time, it appears the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied jockey of the past 40 years will effectively head into retirement following the primary events at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, where he has three opportunities to secure one last Grade One winner to nearly 300 already in his record. Racing may not see a career like his ever again.

An Iconic Figure

Alongside racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last 50 years, Frankie Dettori 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 a world which has become divided by social media and the internet, Dettori may well be the final equestrian personality who will ever experience such immediate brand recognition across a broad swathe of Britain's people.

His entire career in the sport, after all, goes back to an era when the show A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in more than 10 million viewers, and a three-year stint as a team captain was more than enough to establish him as the lively, irrepressible face of racing. His last year on the program was 2004, that was also the time when he secured the Flat jockeys’ title for a third and final time. As far as much of the British public, however, he has likely been the top jockey for many seasons since.

A Hard-Earned Fame

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

In June 2000, he was pulled from the burning wreckage of a light aircraft by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff where the pilot was killed. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became front-page news.

While everyone admires a winner, they frequently adore an imperfect hero and a comeback even more. A six-month ban after a failed drug test for cocaine would have been the end of most jockeys in their forties, plenty of time for owners and trainers to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, though, suspension in December 2012 served as a bridge to a revived partnership with trainer John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of champions and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and setbacks were a crucial element of his narrative, up to and including the embarrassing confession in March that he filed for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep confidential.

There were numerous turns in his story, in fact, that it can be easy to forget that without Dettori’s immense, generational talent, there would have been no story at all.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was clear from his earliest days as a teenage apprentice that there was a natural connection with the horses whenever Dettori was in the saddle.

Horses ran for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to reach 100 winners in one season, and also announced his arrival at the highest level 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, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the buzz from winning major races has never left him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with almost foresight, where to sit, when to make a move and where the gaps will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the recognizable figure of UK horse racing? It won't be simple to step away completely, regardless if Dettori fulfils his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, which is something he always wanted to do”. It is not, after all, an ambition that he has mentioned previously.

However, the disastrous choice to follow tax guidance that led to his dispute with HMRC means that he will not end his career with enough money in the bank to kick back and take things easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has already been confirmed in a new role as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s burgeoning Amo Racing operation. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the primary reason for his exit now, along with the chance to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, frequently. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with huge goals,” said the rider.

Joorabchian, himself, was effusive in his compliments for his new recruit at Del Mar on Thursday. “He is an icon, he is a true legend of the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When you talk about great sportsmen like LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelé and people like that, Frankie is that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you know that he’s made a big impact countless lives across the world.

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

Reality TV is another possibility, though previous appearances on Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … often showed a moodier side to Dettori’s character, beneath the cheerful public image. On both shows, he was an early casualty of the public vote.

It's possible that Dettori personally does not really know what he will do and how he will fill his time once his race-riding days ends. And for another one more day, he stays a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three mounts at one of the globe's prestigious and dazzling events on the schedule.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old filly called Argine will be his last top-level ride in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event where he achieved his first Breeders’ Cup success in 1994. Her performance in Japan indicates that she has something to find to figure, yet few jockeys in history have ever excelled in big moments like Lanfranco Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?