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KUMAR SINGH, THE LITTLE GIANT
Jockey Kumar Singh (left) brings home Sweet Romance in one of the feature races at Rising Sun last year.
By Rawle Welch
Growing up as a cattle farmer in the village of Cromarty, Bush Lot, Berbice, 2009 champion jockey Kumar Singh was always destined to become a jockey, having shepherded his cows on the back of horses that he himself described as ‘pasture horses’.
Singh, who grew up near the Bush Lot Farm on the Corentyne told Kaieteur Sport during a telephone interview yesterday that his attraction for the sport started at a tender age when he would go down to the track and watch the jockeys at that time go through their paces before race day then return on the day of the races to view what many term as the shortest and most exciting moments in sport.
“From small I would go and see the jockeys practice and it naturally came to me that I have to do something like that,” he told this newspaper.
The quiet and unassuming champion, who is still a cattle farmer and owner of one of the top racehorses locally (Irish Gel), has been riding competitively for just about four years, claiming the champion jockey accolade twice, the first coming in 2007.
Asked to name some of the jockeys who helped shape his career, Singh mentioned Omar and Desmond, both of whom he credited as teaching him some of the tricks he knows today that has aided his rapid development in the sport.
“You have to know a few tricks because a bad ride could result in a good horse being beaten,” he mentioned.
A regular member of the Chris Jagdeo stable, the top jockey referred to their relationship as a solid one which has resulted in many successes over the year and one half partnership. “It used to be me and another guy by the name of Michael Semple who rode for the Jagdeo stable, but he left and went to St. Kitts, leaving me as one of the main riders for the outfit.”
Quizzed on what preparations are like for a jockey, Singh said that he usually leave home at around 05:30 hrs and go to the track and train until around 07:30 hrs and that entails running and skipping to strengthen the muscles and also doing a bit of riding as well.
A representative from the Chris Jagdeo stable receives the winning trophy from Justice Cecil Kennard after jockey Kumar Singh rides Sweet Romance to victory last year.
Urged to pick a rider who is right up there in terms of ability, he mentioned Rupert Ramnauth as that individual, but someone who is not as busy as the other jockeys.
He recalled an accident on the track during a race in 2006 as one of the unfortunate incidents in his short career where he fell off a horse and broke his hand which resulted in a three-month absence from racing.
Speaking on the sport, the champ said that it has improved a lot, citing the importation of horses from the USA, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica as evidence to support his claim.
“The owners and the Guyana Horse Racing Authority are really trying their best to lift the standard of the sport here and I’m pleased about that.”
Asked whether he wanted to make his current job a career, he responded in the affirmative, but added that he just have about one more year in this country before he migrates.
He is hoping that when he eventually depart these shores, his love and dedication for the sport would take him to some of the big courses in North America.
Commenting on some of the negatives in the sport, Singh, who is personally insured said he would like to see more jockeys being covered by insurance since it is there lives they are risking to entertain the fans and also a halt to track encroachment.
“These are two of the main changes I would like to see happen and hopefully it does,” Singh mentioned.
He, however, did say that the Racing Authority was trying to rectify those grey areas and was optimistic that the new executive will take a hard look at them in an effort to remedy the situation.
“Those fans who run onto the track during a race must remember that a horse is not something that you can stop suddenly so they need to stop doing that because it could endanger both the lives of the animal and jockey.”
He said one of his real strengths is that he knows how to judge what is happening during a race, while he picked Englishman Lester Piggott as his favourite jockey of all time.
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