Page 20 - December 2008 The Game

PS.The
20 The Game, December 2008 Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper Outside the Jocks’ Room...with Richard Dos Ramos
If there was any doubt left that winter is upon us it was taken away by the wind and snow that surrounded Woodbine on the day I went to talk
to my last jockey of the 2008 season.
The rst race went
amidst a barrage of
snow and I could not
help thinking how
most people might be
looking forward to the
end of the meet. I’m
not afraid to admit that
if I was riding I would
be counting the days
until the end. But if
anyone could ride the
rst race that day and
come in with a big
smile on his face it would be Richard Dos Ramos.
essence of cool and simply went to look for someone to help get it working. Did I mention how helpful Rick is? Anyway, a few minutes later the interview began.
pony me. I asked her out but she said ‘No’,” he says with a laugh, “I broke her down slowly, but after she said
yes and we started dating.” Rick and Linda have been married twenty three years and have two teenage girls, “Two girls, three kids...I’m the third kid. Stephanie is nineteen and Melanie is sixteen.” They now live just north of Brampton, “My family is de nitely most important to me, no doubt about that. I enjoy spending time with them. But they’re at the age where they’re doing their own things. They always have tons of friends over. I have a pool in the backyard and it’s often there is twenty kids hanging out. I have to win just to feed all of them,” he jokes, “I do love to cook, though.” Rick’s philosophy is to keep life simple, “I’m easy going. I love doing what I do, and I’m grateful that I found it. For a summer job it sure has lasted a long time.”
I asked Rick what it is about horses that he loves, “I think they’re fantastic. They’re like people. They have all kinds of different personalities. People who don’t work around horses don’t understand. I think a race horse is
a beautiful animal, when you see a great horse step out on the track it’ll give you goosebumps. They’re just great animals and I love them.” Rick obviously feels very lucky to have a job that he loves working around the animals he loves, but he knows it can’t last forever. “Everyone always talks about what they’re going to do when they retire, I know what I’m not going to do and that is train horses. People always say, never say never, but I say NEVER. But I would like to come back as an owner, give something back to the sport.”
Rick and I talked for nearly an hour and he had some great stories to tell. Unfortunately there just isn’t room for them all but the one thing I can share with you about Rick is his ways of making the people around him feel very comfortable. His easy going personality and his happy go lucky attitude make Rick a great friend and someone to strive to be like.
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Admittedly, Rick doesn’t like
the cold weather but you would
never know it, I’ve never heard him complain about it, I bet it would be dif cult to hear him complain about anything. We sat down between races to talk, but almost didn’t get started because I was having dif culties
with my recorder. I was secretly trying not to panic but Rick was the
a car crash that claimed the life of his father, Rick’s mother brought him and his sisters to Canada. “My mom and aunt came to Canada because they heard it was a nice country. They were looking for a change,” Rick explained to me. “I grew up in Malton, went to school in Malton and then Brampton.” Growing up minutes from the race track it was inevitable that he would one day get a summer there. “I showed up at the East Gate. We were set up with different trainers and paid ve dollars a day to walk the horses.” Rick was paired with a trainer named Johnny Mack who ended up being the one who taught him to ride. “He was very, very strict. He called the shots on everything. I rode my rst race
Jockey Richard Dos Ramos
Michael Burns Photo courtesy of WEG
Richard Dos Ramos was born in Trinidad in September of 1962. He only lived on the island until he was six years old. After
for him; it was at Greenwood on the bullring. I’d never even galloped over it before and there I was going into the rst turn and was like ‘Whooaaa’. I nished third, I was happier than hell, but then Johnny came down and was like ‘What kind of performance was that?’ He busted my bubble pretty quick.” Rick laughs as he tells the
story and others of Johnny Mack, but I could hear the respect and appreciation in his voice for all the things he learned from the trainer.
To everyone who made this a Wonderful & Memorable Season.
Wishing you a Beautiful Holiday Season and a New Year of Peace & Happiness.
~ Trainer Ian Black ~
A Special Thank You!
It was while he has riding at Fort Erie that Rick met his wife, Linda. “Linda’s father, Earl Lanchester asked her to do
a favour and
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The Game December 2008.indd
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11/27/08 2:58:36 AM
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