Six years after he last rode in Singapore, jockey Ryan Curatolo will return for his third stint at Kranji next Saturday.
The 31-year-old Frenchman had a brief taste of success in Singapore at his one-day stint on 1 September 2017 where he bagged two wins from four rides, before coming back for another 11-month stint at the start of 2018.
Thereafter, the globetrotting hoop, who had already plied his trade in France, US and Macau before, based himself in Qatar for two seasons and then in Dubai in 2021. A year later, Curatolo found himself in California, where he would spend another one and a half years at.
The Marseille-born jockey loved that his job allowed him to travel around the world, but at the same time, he felt that he had to spare a thought for his Singaporean wife, Dayle, who had been away from her family since.
Although the couple would fly back to Singapore for holidays and family gatherings every year, the former air stewardess wanted to be with her ageing father, which was part of the reason Curatolo decided to come back.
“After I left Singapore, I rode in Qatar where I won the Group 1 Qatar Derby (on Full Moon on 22 December 2018) and then I got an offer to ride in Dubai in 2021,” said Curatolo, whose biggest win in Singapore came aboard Lim’s Lightning in the 2018 Group 2 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe (1200m).
“After that, we were in the US for one and a half years, which was quite long and Dayle wanted to go back home.
“We would always go back to Singapore for a short holiday, but she wanted to be back by her family’s side, especially her dad, who’s healthy but he’s getting old. So, I applied to come back.
“I also miss the riding on the turf here. Singapore has one of the best turf tracks in Asia.”
While he was granted a licence to ride in Singapore from October last year, Curatolo jumped at a riding offer in Dubai, where he hopes to be based at in the near future.
“After leaving the US, I got a three-month riding contract in Japan from July to October last year, but unfortunately, I fractured my scapula in a race fall about one month in, so I had to rest for seven weeks,” said Curatolo, who won 15 races in Japan.
“After that, I got an offer from (Dubai) trainer Musabbeh Al Mheiri and my good friend and trainer Jean-Claude Pecout to ride in Dubai for three months.
“I saw the chance as a stepping stone for me in Dubai and to also re-connect with the racing community there because after my Singapore stint, I want to ride in Dubai again.
“I have my last ride in Meydan (racecourse) today and we’ll fly to Singapore on Tuesday night.
“I should arrive in the afternoon on Wednesday and I should be able to start riding trackwork on Thursday morning because I have already done my medical check-up when I came back to Singapore last October for a short holiday.”
With a record of four Group 1 wins in over 500 wins thus far, Curatolo is looking forward to pad up his score of 35 wins in Singapore in the remaining nine months. He is currently booked on three rides for Saturday week’s meeting.
“I’m very excited to be coming back,” said Curatolo, who will be staying in a condominium unit next to Dayle’s family in Canberra.
“Wherever I was, I still watched the races here every week. I also kept in contact with (trainers) Steven Burridge and (Donna) Logan.
“I have three rides next Saturday, Invincible Tycoon in a Class 1 race (1200m) and Quadcopter for Steven, and Vgor for (trainer) Richard Lim.
“It was disappointing and sad to hear the news (of Singapore Turf Club’s closure) because it’s a place with such a rich history in racing.
“I’m happy to be part of the last chapter. I hope to win as many races as I can and hopefully, a Group 1 race in Singapore too.”
By Sharon Zhang, STC
