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

The journey has been a thrilling, magnificent and sometimes bumpy ride, but this time, it appears the famed jockey's decision is final. The most storied jockey over the last four decades is set to enter retirement following the primary events during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, where he has three opportunities to add a farewell Grade One winner to his almost 300 already in his record. Racing may not witness a career like his ever again.

A Household Name

Alongside Lester Piggott and maybe John McCririck in the last half-century, Frankie Dettori registers with pretty much everyone, without needing a last name. People know who he is, even if they possess no interest at all in what he does. In today's world which has become fragmented by social media and the internet, Dettori may well be the last racing figure who will ever enjoy such instant name-recognition among a wide segment of the British population.

His entire career in the sport, in fact, goes back to a time when the show A Question Of Sport regularly pulled in over 10 million audience members, and his three-year role as a team captain was sufficient to cement him as the bubbly, unforgettable figure of racing. His final year on the show came in 2004, which was also the time when he won the top jockey award for the third and last occasion. For many in the UK, though, he has probably been the champion in most years after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

This is, in many respects, a hard-won celebrity, a mixed blessing for incidents both on and off the track which have often pushed Dettori into the headlines, ever since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he defied odds of 25,000-1 to win all seven races that day.

In June 2000, he was pulled from a fiery crash of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot was killed. When at last ended his quest for a Derby winner in 2007, that too was headline news.

While everyone admires a champion, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a comeback all the more. A half-year suspension following a positive drug test for cocaine could have been the finish for many riders in their forties, 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 renewed association with John Gosden in Newmarket, and a new series of champions and classic victors, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and setbacks were an essential part of Dettori’s story, up to and including the embarrassing confession this past March that he filed for bankruptcy following a long-standing disagreement with HMRC over unpaid taxes, a situation that Dettori tried, and failed, to keep private.

There have been so many twists to the tale, indeed, that it's easy to forget that absent Dettori’s immense, generational talent, there would have been no narrative whatsoever.

Natural Ability

It was clear from the start as a teenage apprentice that there was an instinctive rapport between horse and rider when Dettori was in the saddle.

Horses ran for him, and improved for him. In 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to achieve 100 wins in one season, and also marked his emergence at the highest level with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge without a loss only six years later. His iconic flying dismount, adopted from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the thrill from winning major races has never left him. Nor has the gift of knowing, with something akin to clairvoyance, where to position, when to make a move and where the gaps will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what next for the public face of UK horse racing? It won't be simple to step away completely, whether or not 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, a goal that he has mentioned until now.

But the calamitous decision to follow tax guidance that resulted in his tax issues indicates that he will not draw down the curtain with enough money in the bank to kick back and take it easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has been confirmed in a new role as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing operation. Dettori told Matt Chapman on At The Races on Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, along with the chance to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, very often. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He’s an icon, he is a true legend of the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When you talk about elite athletes such as LeBron James, Currys, Lionel Messi and Pelé and people like that, Frankie represents 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 entertain people, he’s here to actually work and he will be working with us very closely. He will participate in all aspects of our operations [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Television reality shows are another option, though previous appearances on Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity often showed a more somber aspect of his personality, behind the ebullient public image. In both programs, he was an early exit due to viewer votes.

It may be that Dettori himself is unsure what he'll do and how to spend his time after his race-riding days are over. And for at least one more day, he remains an elite professional jockey, concentrating on three rides at one of the most prestigious and glamorous events in the calendar.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly named Argine will be his final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race where he achieved his initial Breeders’ Cup win back in 1994. Her form at home indicates that she has something to improve to compete, yet few jockeys historically have excelled in big moments like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?