“Welcome to Hollywood, everyone has a dream, what is your dream?” This is the opening of Pretty Womana cult film with one of the most beautiful “happy endings” in the history of cinema. Umberto Rispoli, who has been living in Los Angeles since the end of 2019, will also make films in the future, but hopes to achieve his “happy ending” already this weekend, during the Breeders’ Cup. The fact that Netflix asked him to participate in the new series on the world of horse racing, based on the same principle as Drive to survivethe docuseries on Formula 1, amuses him but his dream is to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile with Johannes or the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf with Anisette. Preferably both. But a victory would already be a dream come true for this jockey who has won Group Is in Italy, France, Hong Kong, Japan and of course the United States.
The reunion with Frankie Dettori
“A jockey’s life is based on dreams, he said with conviction. What I love about Frankie (Dettori) is that he has won thousands of races, but he still dreams. And he is still ambitious. He can win five events in a meeting and when he is beaten in a claiming race he is still as disappointed as if he had been beaten in the Breeders’ Cup.” Umberto Rispoli, or Umbe as he is called by his American colleagues, is delighted to find his compatriot in the locker room at Santa Anita, but laughs when he says: “It’s very nice that he is here and that I can ride with him. I first spoke to him when I was nine and I remember shaking, I couldn’t believe he was talking to me. Having him in Santa Anita, next to me, allows me to discover a Frankie that I didn’t know. I’m learning all the time, but obviously he’s also very annoying. “Umberto, please help me, where do I find the performance of this horse? Who will go first? Can you lend me a saddle?” There it is, Frankie, but I love having him in the locker room. It’s funny, he was always my idol and I always wanted to be like him. In fact, if you don’t want to be like him, get another job. Play golf or do something else. It’s extraordinary to see that he still has this hunger, even though he’s what, 53 years old? I’m 36 and I admit that I’m not sure I’m going to be as hungry as him.”
Family life
With two rides this weekend, Umberto Rispoli is obviously still far from retirement, but he admits that the tragic disappearance of the young Italian jockey Stefano Cherchi at the beginning of this year has somewhat changed his outlook on life. “It’s not that I’ve changed the way I ride, since we all know the danger in this profession and we accept it, but I see life differently. I am so lucky to have Kimberley, my wife, who is an extraordinary woman, and then our two children, Hayden and Aramis. And I want to spend as much time with them as possible.” Luckily, her two boys, ages 7 and 2, are her biggest fans and go to the races as often as possible. “Ha, month fans?, Sourit Umbe. If I come home after losing a race, my oldest is already waiting for me at the door to tell me that I obviously rode wrong. It’s worrying, he’s only seven years old and instead of looking at comics, he’s studying horse performances like he’s my agent!” If he loves being a dad, he also adores his wife who is the daughter of Gérald Mossé and whom he met during his visit to France. Moreover, he of course rode alongside Gérald Mossé for a long time and even if he thinks that his father-in-law is completely unaware of establishing himself as a coach, he admires him enormously. “He’s crazy! I will never settle down as a coach, he laughs. But everyone who knows Gérald knows that he is a horse lover. On the days when he wasn’t racing, he walked with his quarter horse in the Chantilly forest. It’s Gérald, he can’t be far from the horses.”
High hopes with Johannes
Umberto Rispoli, too, is never far from the horses and after finishing second in the jockey standings at the fall meeting at Santa Anita, he arrived at Del Mar to prepare for his two rides in the Breeders’ Cup . While he does not hide that the task for the filly Anisettealso trained by the French Leonard Powell who is based in the United States, in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf promises to be difficult, he specifies: “I have a very good relationship with the filly, but it’s a real test. She has never run outside of California and will also tackle the distance for the first time. But she is an honest filly who has a big heart. Facing the best horses from Ireland and England, it’s not easy, but she loves Del Mar. In fact, she prefers Del Mar to Santa Anita.”. Anisette is actually only an outsider in this group I, while Johannes is one of the good American chances in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. His eyes begin to shine as he says: “Honestly, I think Johannes could be the horse of my life. It might be exceptional. His trainer Tim Yakteen and owner Joe McCloskey have done an absolutely fantastic job with him. The first time when I put it in a maiden, I could already see that it was out of the ordinary. We went to Kentucky for a Group II and I didn’t ride him well. Really, it was my fault. But the team trusted me and they gave him time to develop. He didn’t race for almost a year, and has been undefeated since. He has changed physically, he is stronger. He’s a little tense, but I think that’s why we get along. obviously the Mile is the hardest race of the weekend, but he worked well, so we have to see”.
L’attraction City of Troy
Umberto Rispoli is not riding in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but like all enthusiasts, he has very strong ideas: “In the United States, everyone thinks that Fierceness will beat City of Troy. But I think the reason a master like Aidan O’Brien races his horse in the Breeders’ Cup Classic is because he knows what he’s doing. He is a son of Justify and I think for Coolmore it is important to win such a race. City of Troy has raced on turf all his life, but his pedigree is that of a dirt horse. I would really like to ride him in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. In fact, I don’t think there’s a jockey here who wouldn’t want to ride him.” Umberto Rispoli is therefore not the only one to dream of a victory, it is also the dream of the owners of Coolmore, of Christopher Head, in fact of all the entourages present at Del Mar. And while it is not Hollywood, since San Diego is much more south of Los Angeles, everyone only wants one thing, a “happy ending”.
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