USA: Italian jockey Umberto Rispoli is to join fellow European expat Flavien Prat in leaving California to continue his career in New York, where Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will be among his supporters.
Rispoli will fly from west to east coast after the Santa Anita Derby on April 9 to what the well-travelled rider hopes will be his final destination.
His move mirrors that of Prat, the Frenchman who has become the dominant force on the southern California circuit and currently #2 on TRC's Global Rankings. Prat recently announced he is to relocate to New York to boost his chances of winning an Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding rider. He lost out to Joel Rosario in 2021.
Since Rispoli arrived in the US after quitting Hong Kong, he has ridden 271 winners of races worth more than $18 million, with Rock Your World’s victory in last year’s Santa Anita Derby the highlight among three G1 wins. He is world #77 on the TRC list.
“When I first came here the plan was to go to New York at some point,” he explained. “I found this opportunity to go. I have a very good agent [Mike Sellitto] and a very good trainer who I hope will be one of my main supporters, Bill Mott.
“I haven’t signed as first jockey for the barn but he is someone who has been working with my agent for a long time. It’s a nice opportunity for me. I am sad to be leaving California which has been home for two years but I can get more opportunities over there.
“Nothing can beat this beautiful weather but I’m a professional jockey and I hope this can be the last step I take in my career to reach the top level as a jockey.”
Rispoli secured a G2 victory on Chewing Gum for Mott on the opening day of the current Santa Anita meet. “That was a good start,” said Rispoli. “Bill Mott is happy for me to move to New York because he thinks I can do well,” he went on.
“He is going to help me because we had a chat about it but he has other owners with other options for jockeys, which is normal. The main point is to ride for everybody and show I belong in that strong roster of jockeys.”
While Prat plans to stop off at Keeneland’s spring meet before Belmont Park opens at the end of April, Rispoli will head straight to New York, where his family will eventually join him.
“I will leave California after the Santa Anita Derby,” he said. “I think it will be important to ride in Aqueduct for a couple of weeks, get to know some new trainers and owners, work some horses and get a feel of the track.
“It’s absolutely a coincidence that Flavien is also coming. We didn’t plan this together. We are very good friends but he didn’t tell me had an offer to go to New York as well.
“In California we race three times a week and a lot of times the races don’t fill. On the east coast there are races every day. It’s an hour flight to Kentucky, Maryland, Philadelphia. Being here you are too far away; there is less opportunity.”
Rispoli was twice champion jockey in Italy before he began to travel, riding big winners in France, Japan and Hong Kong, where he rode full-time in 2016.
“I have to try this,” he added. “I am 34. I am mature enough and I can use all my experience. I have to prove how good I am. If I’m not good enough, I’m not good enough. I’ll take it. But my mind is set on going to compete with them.”
Prat, 29, from Melun in France, moved to California full-time in 2014 where he has won multiple meet titles at Santa Anita and Del Mar.
He earned his first Eclipse nomination last year after a career-best campaign in which he rode 246 winners and finished fifth in the US by earnings.
He told the Daily Racing Form that he hopes to forge stronger ties with Chad Brown once he moves to New York. “I really never thought I’d move from here,” he said. “It’s paradise. But if I want to improve and get better, I need to go there.”
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