Royal Ascot has always been a place to be seen, this year though perhaps it's more about who won't be here, rather than who is. Racing lost its greatest patron with the death of Queen Elizabeth II last year and will lose its greatest showman when Frankie Dettori finally calls time on his career this autumn.
It's 34 years since an unknown 18-year-old Italian had his first ride at the meeting, 77 winners later - putting him second to only the legendary Lester Piggott on the all-time list - and it's hard to accept this weekend is the end of that era.
Even more so when you consider that Dettori is still at the top of his game, Classic wins at Newmarket and Epsom in recent weeks prompting some to question why the 52-year-old - who has never been a fan of the quiet life - is calling it quits.
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However, prudence dictates and reality demands that racing should be a head over heart business but imagine the scenes if Dettori rides Wolferton Stakes favourite Saga, a horse now owned by The King, to glory in the silks the late Monarch loved to cheer to victory, something she achieved 24 times at the meeting she adored more than any other.
“It’s very hard to let go when you’ve been doing this for 30 plus years but nothing can last forever," said Dettori. “It’s going to hit me the last day, I’m dreading Saturday. My family is going to be there, and I will know it’s the end.
"Of course, I will cry. I’m not even going to pretend that I’m not going to, I’ve already been crying a lot in the last few weeks. I’ve loved every second of it but it’s time. It’s not going to be easy, my heart doesn’t want to stop but my brain says it’s enough.
"The first four days will be great, lots of waving, kissing and hugging and I hope a few winners too. I think the last day will be when I finally realise that I'll just be watching with everyone else next year.”
Dettori's successes at Ascot are immortalised in a bronze statue as you enter the course, which captures one of his trademark flying dismounts.
Such scenes were in short supply last year, Dettori and trainer John Gosden publicly falling out after a run of unfortunate results and the Italian scoring just one success - a meagre return by his lofty standards. For a jockey who thrives on confidence, his normal cheeky grin was nowhere to be seen.
But this is Dettori - and you can't keep him down for long, especially here - a place he loves more than any other. He also knows not to ride the highs and lows of racing's giddying rollercoaster too hard. You don't spend three decades at the summit of your sport without coping with peaks and troughs, triumph and tragedy.
“The atmosphere at Royal Ascot, the occasion, it just elevates you to be a better jockey, you’re more alert, more adrenaline is kicking in,” he adds.
“Wins means more but so do defeats. Even after a big win, you want another, you want that buzz again - there is just nothing like it. Royal Ascot is our Olympics. I love the tradition of it and it's everything for breeders, owners, trainers and jockeys. You have the best horses in the world at the best track in the world.
"Every year you think ‘which horses are we going to aim at Royal Ascot’, because that’s what the owners want, that’s what the public wants, that’s what we want."
Dettori's first Royal Ascot winner came in 1990, his first leading rider title eight years later. In a remarkable demonstration of his longevity, he has ridden a winner at the meeting in 27 different years.
This year the bookies are again on red alert for the ‘Frankie Factor’, fearing the farewell bashing from a jockey who has proved it can pay to back blind. It's just four years since he won the first four races on the card - and finished second in the fifth.
Bookies breathed a mighty sigh of relief that day and will be sweating again this week, with Dettori boasting six single-figure odds hopes on the opening day alone, a £5 each-way accumulator that pays a five-figure sum.
As a child Dettori recalls having an overriding ambition to be a petrol pump attendant. His career might now be running on fumes but you can expect him to go out with pedal to the metal.
