Our questions are answered by the Californian-based Italian set to partner the Kentucky Derby favorite at Churchill Downs on May 3
Umberto Rispoli has a huge date circled in his diary. It’s Saturday May 3 – the first Saturday in May, of course – when he will be legged up on Journalism, the unbeaten Kentucky Derby favorite.
After two wins this year, the Michael McCarthy-trained son of Curlin has propelled himself to the front of the betting for the first leg of the Triple Crown.
“From what he has shown in his first race to the Santa Anita Derby, he is a serious horse,” says Rispoli, a dual Italian champion jockey who relocated to California in 2020.
“He does his business,” adds the rider. “The way he acts is like an older horse. Not many three-year-olds act that way, not many are capable to get checked at the 600-metre mark and come back and win in that style, no matter who was in the front.
“He was able to recoup everything, find his second wind and give me a good long acceleration. He is the real deal.”
Before settling down on the US west coast, he also rode major winners in France, Japan and Hong Kong, where he was based full-time for four years after 2016.
This will be Rispoli’s third appearance in America’s greatest race. In 2021 he secured his first G1 win in the US on Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World, only to be taken off the colt at Churchill Downs.
However, he picked up the mount on Brooklyn Strong who finished 14th, with Rock Your World two places behind, and was ninth last year on Endlessly. Rispoli is now regularly among the top jocks in California, having ridden over 600 winners since his arrival.
Which racing figure past or present do you most admire?
Frankie Dettori has been my idol since I was a kid. When he was 16/17 years old he spent New Year’s Eve with my family in Napoli when he was an apprentice.
It’s a different relationship we have. He knew my Dad, my Dad knows his Dad. While lots of kids grew up with Michael Schumacher, Michael Jordan, Valentino Rossi or Roger Federer posters in the bedroom, I grew up with Frankie Dettori everywhere. My room was full of blue.
I was a huge fan of Godolphin, and Coolmore, at the same time. My favourite race of all time was the battle between Fantastic Light and Galileo in the Irish Champion Stakes. I think that was the most beautiful showdown in racing in the last 30 years. It’s Frankie on top of everybody.
Which is your favourite venue, and race, anywhere in the world?
As a European my favourite racecourses are Longchamp and Ascot. In America I would say Santa Anita and Del Mar. Royal Ascot is one of the most beautiful meetings in racing and Longchamp is because of the Arc.
I’ve been passionate about the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. They are two classy races. When you grow up in a racing school in Europe, you talk about three races, the Epsom Derby, King George and the Arc. But if I would have won the Kentucky Derby, then I would have said that.
Who is your favourite racehorse and why?
Polydors was a horse I won 16 races on when I was apprentice. He was the horse who helped me to rise, when I started to make my name a little bit. He won all over Italy – Milan, Rome, Florence, Livorno, everywhere. He was a very good-looking horse.
What is your fondest memory in racing?
So far, it would be winning the QE II Cup on Rulership in Hong Kong. On the grass going a mile and a quarter he was probably the best horse I ever rode. He never showed his true potential. He was way better than he showed on the track. He was very problematic. He was strong and could be very difficult at the gate. Doing that he lost ten lengths in the Arima Kinen the same year, running third.
He was the most powerful horse on the turf at a mile and a quarter. The QE II Cup was a tremendous race. We were locked on the fence but we managed to find our way home coming through from the rail.
If you could change one thing in racing, what would it be?
There are a lot of things to change in our business. Being realistic I think we should have the same rules, the same way to prepare racing, all around the world.
Horses go into the gate, come out of the gate with the aim of crossing the finish line first. It’s a race. But you can have different rules in every country. If you play football, the rules are the same across the world. It’s a 90-minute game, the red card is a red card, etc, etc. A jockey riding in America can use the crop six times, but if you go to France you can only use it four times and in Hong Kong there is no limit.
It would also be unbelievable if we could introduce greater sponsorship to raise the purses. This is a dangerous sport and I believe jockeys deserve more respect. We risk our necks every day. To do that for $150 is ridiculous.
Umberto Rispoli was speaking to Jon Lees
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