The Singapore Turf Club has granted jockey licences to Brazilian jockey Vitor Espindola and French jockey Ryan Curatolo till 31 December 2023.
Currently based in Malaysia, Espindola will be riding in Singapore for the first time and his new licence will take effect from 1 October. Curatolo, who rode here in 2017 and 2018, will also join the Kranji riding ranks from October onwards.
Here is a brief write-up on the two riders.
Vitor Espindola
(photos courtesy of Selangor Turf Club)
Born in Dourados, Brazil, 20-year-old Vitor Espindola grew up among horses at his family’s farm. He first learned to ride Quarter Horses at the Sorocaba Jockey Club in Sao Paulo in 2018 before enrolling into the Sao Paulo Apprentice School and making his race debut in August 2019.
Espindola clinched the Brazilian champion apprentice jockey title in the 2020/2021 season and graduated to senior’s rank in October 2021. Two months later, he moved to Kuwait where he bagged 16 wins, including a Group 1 and a Group 2 race.
The young Brazilian hoop then took his overseas career one step further in January this year to ride in Malaysia, where he opened his account aboard the Cheng Han Yong-trained Happy Magic aboard his second ride on January 29.
With more than 150 winners in four years of riding thus far, Espindola now sits 11th on 15 wins on the Malaysian jockeys’ premiership. He goes to scale at 52kgs.
Ryan Curatolo
Born in Marseille, Curatolo, 31, began his career as an apprentice jockey in France before moving to the United States in 2010. He rode successfully in Florida, Saratoga, Belmont and Santa Anita until 2013, landing the New York apprentice jockey title in 2012, notching 185 wins in total, including his first Grade win aboard Street Game in the 2011 Grade 3 Hill Prince at Belmont, New York.
Curatolo then travelled to Macau where he rode for three seasons and his biggest victories included the 2014 Group 1 Macau Guineas with Hostwin Donatello, the 2017 Group 1 Macau Gold Cup and Group 2 Spring Trophy, both with Bo Bo So Cute. After snaring a double at his one-day stint in Singapore in October 2017, Curatolo also took out the Group 2 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe with Lim’s Lightning in July 2018 among his 35 wins in the Lion City.
The well-travelled jockey, who has clocked in more than 500 wins in 12 years of riding, also rode in Qatar, where he won the 2018 Group 1 Qatar Derby atop Full Moon, and Dubai, where he won the 2021 Group 3 United Arab Emirates 2000 Guineas on Mouheeb. Curatolo relocated back to the US last year before securing a three-month contract in Japan in July this year.
Currently licensed by the National Association of Racing (NAR) in Japan, Curatolo has 14 wins to-date. He has also ridden in Bahrain, Hong Kong and South Korea.
Curatolo goes to scale at 54.5kgs.
