Riddell records 1,000th domestic win

[Wandering Eyes]

The first horse Jonathan Riddell rode at the races was a winner and nearly two decades later he recorded his 1,000^th victory in the saddle in New Zealand.

Riddell had been closing in on the milestone through last season and sat on 999 on the morning of Waverley’s Sunday meeting, with his first ride Perfect Pete proving to be the only one he needed to tick that elusive box.

It was a mix of joy and relief for Riddell, also known as ‘Scrapper’, when he crossed the line, having battled with weight issues right through his career.

“It was a bit of a relief really, I never thought I would get to the 1,000 and then when it was getting close, it was getting a bit frustrating to say the least,” he said. “It’s good to have that box ticked.

“She’s been a bit of a grind along the way and it’s been a milestone I’ve been quite passionate to get. For a rider of my weight to do this, I do give myself a little bit of a pat on the back.

“I don’t check my weight before I go to the races, which sounds a bit unprofessional, but you know your body and know where you’re at when you’ve done it for so long. It’s always touch and go, I live on the knife edge of making weight or not.

“It’s a job so the money (is motivation), but when you get a bit of success you keep wanting more – I’m pretty stubborn too.

“It’s a good game, but it’s a tough game.”

Having done it tough for so long, retirement had crept into Riddell’s mind just over a year ago when heading on holiday with his partner and Group One-winning trainer Lisa Latta.

“Lisa and I went on a holiday to the UK last year and I was unsure if I’d come back from that because I knew I’d get fat over there enjoying myself,” he said.

“I got back and had a few mates that were pushing me along to get the 1,000, so I just pinned my ears back. We didn’t go on holiday this winter, I said to her that being only 10 (wins) away, it would’ve been too tough to come back.

“We stuck it out in the Manawatu winter so it’s great to get there.”

Getting to 1,000 was no easy task, but Riddell got off to best possible start when winning his first ride as an apprentice at Tauherenikau in 1996. He couldn’t recall too much about the ride, but credited the win almost entirely to his employer, hall of fame trainer Murray Baker.

“I was apprenticed to Murray and to be honest, I had no idea what I was doing,” he said. “I think he must’ve had a good dollar on it and pretty much set it up for me. I can remember the car ride there, he was pretty confident.

“It was a great training effort.”

Riddell had good success riding as an apprentice, but after finishing his time with Baker, he found himself riding over jumps in the early 2000’s.

He rose swiftly to become one of the best in the land and further afield, winning three Great Northern Hurdles, two Grand National Hurdles and three editions of the Grand National Steeplechase.

A number of those victories came aboard Paul Nelson’s horses, winning seven races apiece on No Hero and Just Not Cricket, as well as the Crisp Steeplechase at Flemington with Chibuli.

“It (jumps riding) came about after I left Murray’s,” Riddell said. “Cheryl Douglas (now McGlade) grabbed me to help out and she steered me in the direction of riding jumpers, so I got good grounding from her.

“That was basically my life for a few years. Paul came along, and we know how he can train a horse, and I was lucky enough to sit on some of his good ones.

“It was a good time of my life, I got to see the world riding jumpers. I couldn’t put it down to one horse, I got to ride quite a few good ones and riding them in the big races is a real thrill.”

Riddell had continued to ride on the flat and won his first Group One in the 2009 aboard Eileen Dubh in the Levin Classic (1600m). During that same year, a very special galloper came on his radar, which was a key factor in giving up the jumps.

“I was doing both at the same time for a while, but it was just getting too tough trying to lose weight then being strong enough to ride the jumpers,” he said. “I did have a bad crash which didn’t rock me exactly, but possibly put a couple of doubts in my mind about it.

“At that stage, Jimmy had come around, so it was too much of a risk riding jumpers to lose the ride on a horse like him.”

That horse was Jimmy Choux, a once-in-a-lifetime talent that won 10 stakes races with Riddell on board, including the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m), Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m), Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) and Gr.1 New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Spring Classic (2040m).

The pair finished second to Pinker Pinker in the 2011 Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) and competed in Hong Kong, memories that remain dear to Riddell.

“He was such a nice horse, uncomplicated, everything about him was just easy,” he said. “He had a great big heart, a will to win and would be one of the quietest horses I’ve ridden.

“I had an association with John (Bary, trainer) right from when he started training, I was actually at the jump-outs at Waipuk and he was in the same heat and I remembered how he went, so I must’ve chased him up and was lucky enough to get the spin on him.

“Riding him in a race was easy, I could be where I wanted to be, there was no drama and he didn’t pull. The only times I didn’t ride him was when I was suspended, his first win when Lofty (Paul Taylor) rode him, then Michael Walker rode him in the Sires’ Produce.

“It was a good field that that day in the Rosehill Guineas and he just smashed them. It was pretty cool. He’s one of those ones that only comes along every now and then.”

Riddell said he had a real soft spot for another Bary-trained gelding in Callsign Mav, who he guided to three Group One victories during the Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival.

Always hungry for the next big success, Riddell was thrilled to add another to his record last month in the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) at Te Rapa on Magic Carpet.

“That gave me a real good kick, I’ve known Stephen (Marsh, trainer) since I started riding and it was a bit of a surprise to me because I’ve never ridden the horse, maybe not so much for them,” he said.

“I hadn’t been featuring in big races for a while, so it was really good.”

That victory took his black-type total to 67, with 14 Group Ones, 10 Group Twos, 19 Group Threes and 24 at Listed level. Of his overall total of 1,013 wins, 10 of his came on Australian soil, alongside two in Japan.

Loyalty has been an integral part of Riddell’s success and something he is proud of, having ridden from the early days for many of the same trainers as he rides for in the present time.

“The numbers speak for themselves, I’ve had a great association with John, Paul, Allan Sharrock, and Lisa, she has been a supporter of mine forever as well as her owners,” he said. “It’s nice to have that loyalty and the good thing about it is I’m still riding for those people now.”

A new chapter started for the 47-year-old when his daughter Amber joined him in the professional ranks last term, admitting it was an adjustment riding alongside her initially.

“To start with I was hopeless, I was literally watching her in the races as any father would,” he said. “Now, I think it’s one of those things that you do often enough that it becomes natural.

“I don’t worry about her out there now, she’s just another competitor and she’s going better than me so it’s good to knock one over her.”

Also based in the Central Districts, Amber rode 53 winners in her first season and Riddell couldn’t have been prouder.

“That would be an understatement,” he said. “She’s going so well, she’s determined and she works really hard. I’m so proud of her.

“It’s a special thing to do, to compete and fight against your daughter in the sport we do. She’s got it all ahead of her.”

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