Frankie Dettori: What Lies Ahead as Horse Racing's Greatest Icon Exits the Stage?

It has been an exhilarating, magnificent and sometimes rocky path, yet now, it seems Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most celebrated rider of the past four decades will effectively enter retirement following the primary events during the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar on Saturday, where he has three opportunities to secure one last Grade One winner to nearly 300 already in his record. The sport might not witness a career quite like it again.

A Household Name

Alongside racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck over the past 50 years, Frankie Dettori is recognized by almost everybody, without needing a last name. People know who he is, even if they have absolutely no interest in his profession. In a world that has been divided by digital platforms and the internet, Dettori may well be the final equestrian personality who will ever enjoy such instant brand recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in horse racing, after all, goes back to a time when A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million viewers, and a three-year stint as a team leader was more than enough to cement him as the lively, unforgettable figure of racing. His final year on the show came in 2004, which was also the time when he secured the top jockey award for the third and final time. As far as many in the UK, though, he has probably been the top jockey in most years since.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

It is, in many respects, a hard-won celebrity, a mixed blessing for incidents both on and off the racecourse which have often 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 rescued from a fiery crash of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash on takeoff where the pilot lost his life. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby victory in 2007, that too was headline news.

And if everyone loves a champion, they often love an imperfect hero and a return all the more. A half-year suspension after a failed drug test for cocaine could have been the finish for many riders in their 40s, more than enough time for trainers and owners to seek a younger replacement. For Dettori, however, his 2012 suspension served as a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of champions and Classic winners, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The public highs and lows were a crucial element of his narrative, right up until the embarrassing confession in March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities over unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and failed, to keep private.

There have been numerous turns in his story, in fact, that it can be easy to forget that absent his tremendous, generational talent, there would have been no narrative whatsoever.

Natural Ability

It was clear from the start as a young apprentice that he had an instinctive rapport with the horses when Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. Back in 1990, he was the first teenager since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in a season, and also marked his emergence among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same card that he would charge without a loss only six years later. His iconic flying dismount, copied from the American 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 emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what now for the public face of UK horse racing? It won't be simple to step away completely, regardless if Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to take “a few rides in South America, something that he always wanted to do”. It is not, after all, an ambition that he had mentioned until now.

But the calamitous decision to accept the tax advice that led to his dispute with HMRC means that Dettori will not draw down the curtain with enough money saved up to relax and take things easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been appointed to a new position as an international ambassador with the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. Dettori told racing presenter Matt Chapman last Friday this was the primary reason for his exit now, along with the chance to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities don’t come along, frequently. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit at Del Mar on Thursday. “He is an icon, he is a true legend of the sport,” he stated. “When you talk about elite athletes like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Messis and Pelé and people like that, Frankie represents that for horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you know that he has influenced countless lives across the world.

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

Television reality shows is another possibility, although earlier outings on Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity have tended to reveal a more somber aspect of his personality, behind the ebullient public image. On both shows, he was an early exit due to viewer votes.

It may be that Dettori personally is unsure what he'll do and how to spend his time once his race-riding days are over. And for at least 24 hours at least, he remains a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three rides 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 final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event in which he registered his initial Breeders’ Cup win back in 1994. Her form at home in Japan suggests that she has something to improve to compete, yet few jockeys in history have ever risen to an occasion like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?