Former champion jockey Ricky Jadoo became the oldest jockey, in the 26 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 2019.
At 52 years, the ever-green rider not only won the Derby he was also successful in the jockey's championship where he beat Brian Boodramsing into second place in a nail-biting finish to the 2018 season.
However, he re-wrote the record book last year, when he won the Derby for the sixth time in front of a mammoth Republic Day crowd.
Jadoo was aboard favourite Juice Man who landed the final leg of local racing’s ‘Triple Crown’ with a gutsy performance when winning the feature Carib Brewery Limited Trinidad Derby Stakes. Jadoo had to be at his absolute best to repel the late charge of the John O'Brien-trained Apocalypse which was partnered by champion jockey Boodramsing.
The racing fraternity then celebrated with Jadoo last year at the Jetsam Awards when he was inducted into the Racing "Hall of Fame" at the Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.
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 Jack 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 the best rider at Santa Rosa Park. He has won the championship four times. Last year, he again proved his worth by partnering the Justyn Kanta-Persad-owned and Mendez-trained Juice Man to victory.
Juice Man was named as last season's "Horse of The Year" at the Jetsam Awards, earlier this year.
One can only look back and remember his brilliant performances aboard the Mendez-trained/Merlin Samlalsingh-owned Top Of The Class and Cape Canaveral.
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 37 years I worked really hard and it has paid off. For that I am thankful. I am proud of what I have achieved."
Jadoo lives with his wife and daughters in San Fernando and gets up at 4 am to be at the track by 5 am.
"Regularly, I work 10-12 horses a day. I am very happy and proud to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame and I hope this will spur on others to continue. I looked at Venice Richards as a young rider and wanted to have a seat like him and I try my best to have his coolness and composure. Hopefully, I will be riding for another two years."
Commendations are for Jadoo, following his 1/2 length success in the Derby aboard Juice Man. He joined former legend Challenor Jones as having won six Derbys, became the oldest jockey to ever win a derby and is now also the winningest jockey in the history of the sport in T&T.