Jorge Ricardo hits 10,500 winners.

Record holder Ricardo hits 10,500-mark


Argentina: Brazilian riding legend Jorge Ricardo partnered the 10,500th winner of his amazing career in Argentina last week.

The world-record holder in career victories reached his latest landmark on West Tag in the 11th race last Thursday at La Plata, just outside Buenos Aires.
Jorge Ricardo


Ricardo, 47, rode two more winners over the weekend to reach 10,502 winners, 92 in front of his great rival Russell Baze, the American-based former record holder who has 10,410 winners to his name.

However, Baze has made small inroads into Ricardo's lead this year, when he is outscoring the Brazilian 51-43 according to Paginadeturf.com.ar, the website that keeps an up-to-date tally of the ding-dong battle that has raged across the length of two continents for half a decade.

Ricardo, known as ‘Ricardinho' at home, won his first jockeys' championship in Brazil in 1982 - and retained the title every season afterwards until he moved permanently to Argentina in June 2006.

Baze, 50, became the winningmost rider of all-time on December 1, 2006 when he rode the 9,531st winner of his career to surpassa mark established seven years earlier by Panamanian legend Laffit Pincay.

However, Baze had overtaken Brazilian superstar Jorge Ricardo only a few months before - and when Pincay's record was broken, the South American rider was just27 behind.

Four weeks later, Ricardo emulated Baze in surpassing Pincay's mark and subsequently established a lead over his rival when Baze was injured in February 2007.

The pair met for the first time at Royal Ascot last year when they were both invited to the Shergar Cup.

Baze rode 403 winners in 2009 to top the 400-mark for the 12th time - but Ricardo easily beat him with a total of 472 in the calendar year.

Incredible feat. Over 10000 winners is amazing.

What did they say Karl Neisius is close to at the moment? 3000?

472 in a year is also impressive. What's the SA record, a little over 300 the time when Delpech won the title?

I think Jeff Lloyd has ridden the most winners for any South African jockey. He rode his 4000th winner a couple of years ago.

Ricardo fractures skull in Latinoamericano spill


Report: Brazil, Saturday

Cidade Jardim (Sao Paulo): Gran Premio Latinoamericano (Grade 1) 1m2f, turf

JORGE RICARDO, the world record holder in career victories, could be sidelined for 90 days after fracturing his skull in Brazil on Saturday when a three-horse spill marred the Gran Premio Latinoamericano.

The 25th running of South America's marquee weight-for-age event, hosted by Sao Paulo's Cidade Jardim racecourse, was won for Brazil by Hot Six, who represents Dalva and Stefan Friborg's Stud Estrela Energia.
Jorge Ricardo


Ricardo, who rode at the Shergar Cup last year, was unseated by the favourite Flymetothemoon 750 metres from home, causing home team representatives Quadriball and second choice Negro Da Gaita to stumble.

Buenos Aires-based Ricardo, who has ridden 10,520 winners in an amazing career, looks set to miss about three months after reportedly suffering a fractured skull and vertebra.

The injury means he may lose his position as world leader once more to Russell Baze, his great rival in North America, whose career total stands at 10,443 winners.

Bruno Reis and Marcelo Cardoso, riders of Quadriball and Derby Paulista hero Negro Da Gaita, escaped injury in the incident.

Hot Six (Givanildo Duarte/Jorge Leme) captured South America's continental championship after finishing with a flourish to score by five lengths.

Peruvian representative Zeide Isaac, a US-bred gelding bred by Nelson Bunker Hunt, set the pace and re-rallied to earn second after with Brazil's Des Moines closing well late on for third.

Carlos Pellegrini winner Life Of Victory and four-time Grade 1 winner Quick Road both weakened to finish fourth and sixth respectively.

Second by a head to subsequent Carlos Pellegrini runner-up Negro Da Gaita in Sao Paulo's Derby, Hot Six was trained by Givanildo Duarte and covered the 1m2f trip in 2m03.45s on soft ground.

The Latinoamericano, which moves around the continent, will be staged at the Club Hipico de Santiago in Chile in 2010