Former champion jockey Ricky Jadoo became the oldest jockey in the 31 years of racing of the sport at the centralised facility at Santa Rosa Park in Arima to win the Trinidad Derby when he landed the Merlin Samlalsingh-owned/Glenn Mendez-trained Cape Canaveral in 2018.
The fifty-five-year-old evergreen rider is considered the 'Mike Smith' of horse racing in T&T. Jadoo has not only won six Trinidad Derby events but he was also inducted into the racing "Hall Of Fame" at the Jetsam Awards of 2018. Jadoo has the distinction of winning all the major events on the local horse racing calendar. He clearly has nothing to prove to anyone. He is a racing icon.
Asked about the impact of COVID-19 and the current racing situation, Jadoo said, "This is a tough time. It is not like long ago in the boom years. Really, these are trying times with many jockeys under considerable pressure with the economic decline. But we have to have faith and hope in the racing game."
However, he warned that all success comes through discipline and dedication.
"The realism is that I have to adjust my life to the circumstances and with the State of Emergency (SoE), I cannot get to work at 5 am any more. That is not my kind of time and my day would usually begin at 3.30 am and I would be driving to Santa Rosa Park at 4 am from San Fernando," said Jadoo.
This year to open the 2021 racing season, Jadoo teamed up with the Mendez-trained six-year-old chestnut horse General JN to win the first Graded event on the Arima Race Club, 2021 racing calendar – the Stakeholder Sian’s Gold Sprint over 1,100 metres on the turf track.
Jadoo who is accustomed to re-writing the record book was full of praise for the trainer Mendez and the thoroughbred General JN, saying: "Mendez knows how to ready horses and I am fortunate to be riding for him. We continue to be successful. At my age, I am happy to land the top races.
"Glenn Mendez is one of the trainers, who is very disciplined and he will want anyone who works with him to have discipline and to be committed. He is the type of man who asks you to be disciplined when it comes to your job. He is a good man and a great trainer. I am happy to be associated with him.
"In my career, I have had great assistance and support I must thank Jack Debideen for his assistance in my career. He hated me to miss a day of training. He expected discipline and loyalty.”
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.
During his long and illustrious career, Jadoo has always been sought by owners and trainers alike. From his early days with Mal Lewis down south to Debideen in the Capital city, now to Mendez, Jadoo's cool, quiet and collective, yet confident manner was infectious.
Today, Jadoo commands the respect of all trainers and owners and yet has the admiration of his colleagues of the pigskin. He is the jockey I consider to be one of the best riders at Santa Rosa Park. He has won the championship four times.
One can only look back and remember his brilliant performances aboard the Mendez-trained/Merlin Samlalsingh-owned Top Of The Class, Cape Canaveral and his final Derby winner Juice Man to note his brilliance. The racing fraternity then celebrated with Jadoo in 2019, at the Jetsam Awards.
Jadoo got interested in horses when his father took him to the paddock at Union Park in Marabella.
"I fell in love with horses that day and I knew that was my future," said Jadoo, who in his early days was spent with Lewis before he went to the jockey school for 18 months.
"When I graduated, I rode my first winner Amber Light for Lewis. For 39 years I worked really hard and it has paid off. For that I am thankful. I am proud of what I have achieved."
Hopefully, Jadoo, who lives with his wife and daughters in San Fernando, will be riding until the ripe old age of 60.
Salute to the racing icon.