calling oscar

i also rate striker , but and its a big but there are a few out there that can ride......this guy for me was a superstar. hope he enjoys his retirement He wont be known to many south africans but this is pure class on a horse.


Brain injury forces Dominguez to retire

BY NICHOLAS GODFREY 6:19PM 13 JUN 2013

USA: America's reigning champion jockey Ramon Dominguez has announced his retirement owing to the serious brain injury he sustained in a fall at Aqueduct in January.

Dominguez, winner of the last three Eclipse Awards as North America's outstanding jockey, had been expected to make a comeback after fracturing his skull in the spill but has now been advised by doctors to end his career.

Best known for his association with turf champion Gio Ponti and Havre De Grace, the 2011 Horse of the Year, Venezuelan-born Dominguez, 36, issued a press release announcing his enforced retirement.

"Riding thoroughbreds has always been my passion and my calling," he said. "When I was 13 and watched my first horse race in Venezuela, I knew that I would become a jockey, and my riding career has brought happiness and success beyond what I ever expected.

"Thus it is extremely difficult for me to announce that due to the severity of the injuries I sustained in an accident at Aqueduct racetrack on January 18, 2013, my professional riding career has come to an end. While I hoped and even expected to be able to return to the saddle, as a result of my injuries and upon the advice of my treating physicians, it has been determined that I will no longer be able to pursue my career as a jockey."

Dominguez retires with 4,895 career victories in North America, his mount earning in excess of $191 million. In 2012 he was top rider on the prestigious New York circuit for the fourth straight year with 322 wins, leading the nation in prize-money with $25.6m, which surpassed Jerry Bailey's record mark of $23.3m.

According to the Daily Racing Form, Dominguez's agent Steve Rushing said doctors were concerned Dominguez would not be able to withstand another fall and therefore counselled him to stop riding.

"He's doing great, there's just a fear if he falls and bangs his head again that it's not going to take much to reinjure it," said Rushing, speaking to the Form. "There's too much of a risk to go back to such a dangerous job.

"He's a world-class rider, but he's even a better person. It's just devastating to lose someone like him in our industry."

Dominguez, who is married with two young sons, started riding in the States in 1995 and later became the dominant force on the mid-Atalntic circuit at tracks like Laurel, Pimlico and Delaware Park.

Having moved to New York in 2008, he was the New York Racing Association's leading rider from 2009-12, winning 20 individual meeting titles. Among the best horses he rode were turf champion Gio Ponti, on whom his six Grade 1 victories included the 2009 Arlington Million, and Havre De Grace, the 2011 Horse of the Year.

Although he never won a Triple Crown race, he had three Breeders' Cup wins, taking the Turf with Better Talk Now and Little Mike in 2004 and 2012 respectively, plus the Juvenile on Hansen in 2011.

In his statement, the rider added: "I want to personally thank my family, fans, and fellow riders for overwhelming support in the months since my accident. I chose to make this statement to end speculation about my future, but I am not yet ready to speak publicly. I will come forward on my own, but in the meantime I ask that you please respect my privacy as I continue my recovery."

Thanks easy my bud