Brazilian jockey Jorge Ricardo and his horse Hope Glory recently crossed the finish line in first place at the San Isidro racecourse in Buenos Aires.
There’s nothing unusual about that – Ricardo, 57, has won thousands of races during his 40-year career. But what made that victory special was that it broke the record for the most races ever won by a single jockey.
Ricardo took two wins that day, taking his total to 12,486 races won – two above the record previously held by Canadian Russell Baze.
“I feel fulfilled professionally and as a person. I’m the world’s happiest man,” Ricardo told DPA.
For the Buenos Aires-based jockey, it is “a dream come true, a goal I had sought for many years. With a lot of work and love for the profession, I managed to be number one.”
Ricardo won his first race in November 1976 at the Gavea track in Rio de Janeiro, where he was born.
Forty-two years later, he still remembers that first triumph. “It would be impossible to forget it. It was an immense joy. And from then on, with luck, many successes followed.”
Ricardinho, as he is known, continued to compete in Brazil for three decades, while also becoming known outside his home country and participating in races all over South America.
In 1991, he won his first Gran Premio Internacional Latinoamericano, South America’s most important weight-for-age race. He went on to win it four more times.
In 2006, Ricardo emigrated to Argentina, where he continued racking up victories. In 2008, he became the jockey to win the most races in that country, with 467 wins in one year.
“Life teaches you that anything is possible,” Ricardo says when recalling some of the obstacles in his career.
He was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2009 and also suffered a number of dangerous falls during his career. “I broke my femur, shoulder blade, humerus, ribs, wrist, collarbone but the one thing I don’t lack is the will to get ahead.”
The jockey has won prestigious races in all the Latin American countries where he has competed. He has also participated in races in Europe and the United States.
However, the father of four does not want any of his offspring to follow in his footsteps.
“My first-born son, Jorge Antonio, has already graduated as a mechanical engineer,” he says – and his three daughters like horses, but have no desire to compete professionally.
“The truth is that I would not be delighted if they chose the profession of jockey. It is very difficult, very risky. It is one thing for me to pass through all this, but it would be very different to see one’s child taking the risks.”
When asked about his future plans, however, Ricardo does not need to think twice. “For the time being, I want to continue competing and raising the world record: maybe 13,000 wins, or a bit more.”
Ricardo calculates that he has participated in more than 70,000 races so far. He was constantly facing off against Baze until the Canadian retired in 2016 at 57 – the age Ricardo is now.
“I’m very professional, I take good care of myself and always try to be fit,” he says. “The secret of success is work, love, faith, perseverance and being convinced that anything is possible.” – DPA
WORLD RECORD: Jorge Ricardo, centre, celebrates his record breaking feat.
