Page 108 - Speedhorse December 2019

“For the younger generations, I’d say work hard and stay positive no matter what happens . . . make mistakes, learn, grow and move on.”
by John Moorehouse
NAME: CORY SPATARO
HOME BASE: Barrie, Ontario, Canada YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 15
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS: “I was Canadian Champion in 2014 and 2018, Regional Champion in 2016, set multiple track records at Ajax Downs, and had a six- win day last year.”
FAVORITE HOBBY: “In my spare time, I like to create music, spend time with my two children and also break yearlings through the offseason, which I find to be very rewarding.”
Cory Spataro’s never been the biggest guy in a room—far from it, in fact. So, after he started working on the front side of Woodbine Racetrack in
his native Ontario at the age of 18, it didn’t take long before folks in the racing business began asking him if he wanted to try his hand at being a jockey.
“Up until this point, I had relatively no experience with my equine counterparts other than the odd trail ride,” said Spataro, who loved horses despite his lack of experience riding them. “I decided to go and take riding lessons. It turns out I was a bit of a natural, and it only took me about three years before I rode my first race.”
Spataro was in a rough time in his life when he began working at Woodbine. In a 2018 interview with OntarioRacing.com, he recalled “floating through life” following the recent death of his father. From there, he worked his way up the ladder in the sport, from apprentice rider to his first full competitive campaign in 2010. Since then, Spataro has built a fine career in the irons, racing mostly in his native country of Canada. He’s been awarded two jockey titles at Ajax Downs—in 2014 and 2018. Spataro still races regularly, making more than 100 starts in 2019, but he also founded S&S Equestrian Center, a center for breaking and training horses he runs along with his wife, Kim. Spataro also found time to participate in the latest installment of our Backside feature.
Q. WERE THERE ANY PARTICULAR PEOPLE WHO MENTORED YOU OR HELPED YOU ALONG THE WAY WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED AS A JOCKEY? IF SO, WHO WERE THEY AND HOW DID THEY HELP YOU?
A. I’ve had a lot of mentors over the years as I do my best to learn and grow to become the best that I can be. Never too old to learn new tricks! But, I can say that there is one who stands out the most as he was one of
the first people to help me and continues to do so even to this day. His name is Umesh Kumar. He went to jockey school when he was 16, but went through a growth spurt and got too big to become a jockey. But, his younger brother is a jockey. Umesh trained and was an exercise rider in Asia and Dubai. He had immigrated to Canada, and I met him at Windfields Farm, not far from Ajax, where I was learning to ride. Umesh helped not just with the physical aspect of being a rider, but with the mental aspect of being in the business. In my experience, the mental aspect is harder to deal with than the physical and capability demands. Umesh hails from India and comes from a family of jockeys. I call him the riding guru because of his calming aura that horses just love. And I’ve NEVER seen him fall off or get run off with!
Q. YOU’VE GOT EXPERIENCE RIDING BOTH QUARTER HORSES AND THOROUGHBREDS. WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO, WHEN IT COMES TO COMPETING IN A RACE?
A. I find the biggest difference between Thoroughbred race riding and Quarter Horse race riding is that being a Thoroughbred jockey requires you to be a different level of fitness. You really need to help a Thoroughbred down the stretch to get better results. On Quarter Horses, I find that just staying in rhythm and staying out of their way is the best way to get the best results. Let them do the running.
CORY SPATARO
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SPEEDHORSE, December 2019
John Moorehouse
THE BACKSIDE