Former champion jockey Ricky Jadoo rolled back the times, when he rode four winners on the Arima Race Club (ARC) seven-race day six card on March 26.
Jadoo became the oldest jockey in the 28 years of racing of the sport locally, at the centralised facility in Arima, winning the Trinidad Derby, when he landed the Merlin Samlalsingh-owned and Glenn Mendez-trained Cape Canaveral in 2018.
In the present, he just cannot stop winning!
On day six of the ARC racing programme at Santa Rosa Park, Jadoo won consecutively from race two, aboard Davinci Code, Blue Agave, Great Heart and Nuclear Fire.
He was back in the winner’s enclosure with a bang, producing the Michael Lutchman-trained maiden Kobe to win his first event on the day 12 card (July 2). Jadoo broke Kobe smartly and then made the running before favourite, Thunderbird, came to challenge at the corner.
Though Boodramsing kept Thunderbird going, she just did not have what it takes to land another winner.
Jadoo was not happy with one winner and went for two with the joint-favourite Comandante landed a ‘fantastic win’ and had this to say after: “Believe me I broke well and when I saw Schwarzenegger coming to fight me for the lead and I was worried. However, I kept him steady and we went along until 500 metres out when Here Comes Heidi joined us when he challenged. After that, I had only had Here Comes Heidi to worry about. With 300m left to race, I asked Comandante to go win his race and he did, he quickened up and pulled a length clear to give me my 900th winner.
“I am very thankful for Michael Lutchman and what he has done for me in the last six months. He is a very good trainer and will continue to do well. He has his horses in really great form and is a tribute to trainer Michael Lutchman. We have a good working relationship in that stable and I hope that success continues for us both”
“My day was really good. My friend and colleague of many years Michael Lutchman gave me yet another winning ride. Michael Lutchman is doing a great job as a trainer and I expect him to continue being successful.”
When Guardian Media Sports spoke to the 55-year-old evergreen rider, he stated that he was feeling like a 21-year-old, as he was playing with his grandchildren.
“I am very happy that at 55, I can still win races. I continue to work hard every morning and I really make the sacrifice to stay with the top riders. The young riders give me ‘picong’ and call me jokingly, ‘Grand-dad’ and sometimes Uncle Ricky but I only have a word of advice for any one of them in this tough racing game.
“When young jockeys come to me, I give them the benefit of my experience,” said Jadoo who has also been inducted into the Racing Hall Of Fame at the Jetsam Awards of 2019 and continues to ride admirably.
The likeable Jadoo was aboard favourite Juice Man, who landed the final legs of local racing’s ‘Triple Crown’ in 2019 when he rode his sixth Derby winner.
Hopefully, he will be riding for a few more years and landing many more winners.
