Jockey Ramon Dominguez has returned to
Aqueduct Racetrack after competing in the World Super Jockeys Series last
Saturday and Sunday at Hanshin Racecourse in Japan.
Dominguez and John Velazquez, both regulars on the NYRA circuit,
represented the United
States in the World Super Jockey Series,
which comprised four races and featured 15 riders from around the world. The
two U.S.-based riders respectively finished eighth and fourth, with John
Murtagh from Ireland
winning the competition.
“I had a great time. Unfortunately, my horses didn’t
perform that well, but I’m always impressed with the way races are run
[in Japan],” said Dominguez, whose mounts in the World Super Jockeys
Series races finished ninth, seventh, ninth, and fourth. “Everything is
very meticulously done. I’m impressed with the whole culture. It’s
very clean on the streets. It’s different in so many ways. You leave very
impressed with how everything is so well laid out.”
Dominguez, who in a previous trip to Japan rode Better Talk Now to a 12th-place
finish in the Japan Cup, enjoys Asian cuisine and appreciated the opportunity to
eat authentic Japanese food during the visit.
“[The Japan Racing Association] had a big spread for us [jockeys]
a couple of nights before the races,” said Dominguez. “You can try
something authentic that [natives] love, but it may not be appealing to you.
It’s just a different taste, but I’m always game to try different
things. I really liked that. They had a ceviche-type dish. It’s usually
from Peru,
but they had their own version and it was very, very good.”
Dominguez rode in nine races outside the World Super Jockeys Series,
with his best finish being a third on Sunday.
“For me, it was a totally different experience,” reflected
Dominguez. “For one thing, they run [clockwise at Hanshin Racecourse].
The horses don’t have ponies or anybody to handle them in the starting
gate. It’s a very long post parade. You go through a gazebo or a type of
run-in shed. You walk for a good five minutes or more before you go in the
starting gate.”
Dominguez said Velazquez, who has finished riding in New
York for the year, also had a good time on their trip to Japan.
“[Velazquez] was very pleased, too,” said Dominguez.
“He liked it. It wasn’t his first trip either, but it just was a
very good experience.”