Frankie Dettori: What Comes Next as Horse 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 jockey of the past 40 years will effectively enter retirement following the primary events at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar this Saturday, when he will have three opportunities to add a farewell top-tier victory to nearly 300 already in his record. The sport might not witness a career quite like it again.

An Iconic Figure

Together with 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 his identity, even if they possess no interest at all in what he does. In a world that has been divided by social media and online networks, Dettori may well be the last racing figure who will ever experience such immediate brand recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

His entire career in horse racing, after all, dates back to a time when 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, irrepressible face of the sport. His last year on the program was 2004, which was also the year when he won the Flat jockeys’ title for the third and final time. As far as many in the UK, however, he has likely been the champion for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Won Celebrity

This is, in many ways, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for events on and off the track which have often propelled Dettori into the headlines, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he defied odds of 25,000-1 to win all seven races on the card.

Back in June 2000, he was rescued from the burning wreckage of a light aircraft by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot was killed. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby victory in 2007, that too was front-page news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a return all the more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine would 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 renewed association with trainer John Gosden in Newmarket, and a fresh succession of winners and classic victors, such as Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and setbacks were an essential part of Dettori’s story, right up until the embarrassing confession in March that he filed for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with HMRC regarding unpaid taxes, a circumstance that he attempted, and did not succeed, to keep private.

There have been 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 narrative whatsoever.

Natural Ability

It was clear from his earliest days as a teenage 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 became the first teen since Piggott to achieve 100 wins in one season, and also marked his arrival among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge without a loss only six years later. The famous flying dismount, copied from the American legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the buzz from winning major races has always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with almost foresight, where to position, when to make a move and where the gaps will emerge.

What Comes Next?

But what now for the recognizable figure of British racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, regardless if Dettori pursues his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, something that I’ve always wanted to experience”. It is not, after all, a goal that he had mentioned until now.

However, the disastrous choice to follow tax guidance that led to his dispute with HMRC indicates that he will not draw down the curtain with sufficient funds in the bank to relax and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been confirmed in a new role as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s burgeoning Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman last Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, as well as being able to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities are rare, frequently. I appreciate the structure – this is a young team with huge goals,” said the rider.

Joorabchian personally, was effusive in his compliments for his new ambassador on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, a genuine legend in the sport,” Joorabchian said. “When discussing elite athletes such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelé and people like that, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he has influenced countless lives worldwide.

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

Reality TV are another option, although earlier outings on Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity have tended to reveal a more somber aspect of his personality, beneath the cheerful public image. In both programs, 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 once his race-riding days are over. And for another 24 hours at least, he remains a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three mounts at one of the globe's prestigious and dazzling events in the calendar.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old mare called Argine will be Dettori’s last top-level ride 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 needs to find to figure, but few riders in history have ever excelled in big moments like Frankie Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?