Racing: Childhood dream realised as apprentice rides high

Jockey Ashvin Goindasamy. Photo / Trish Dunell

Ashvin Goindasamy has swapped tailor-made miniature jockey's colours for the real item and he's now living a childhood dream.

The Cambridge apprentice celebrated his best day in the saddle when from four rides at Matamata on Saturday he kicked home two winners, Direct Capital and Athena Baby, as well as finishing a close second on Cutting Up Rough.

Goindasamy had his first raceday ride at Te Awamutu last May aboard eighth-placed Stand Tall for his employer, Ralph Manning, and after having to settle for a couple of seconds and a third from 14 rides last season he has made a favourable impression this term.

He recorded his first win aboard Cutting Up Rough at Taupo on August 22 and his double on Saturday took his tally to five.

Along the way he has been attracting the interest of outside trainers. Both Direct Capital and Athena Baby were the first time he had ridden for either of the respective trainers, Karen Nicholson and John Bell.

As he does after competing on any raceday, Goindasamy was quickly on his phone to his parents in Mauritius after Saturday's windfall to tell them of his good fortune.

"I spoke to Dad on Friday and told him I had some good chances and thought I could win with Cutting Up Rough," Goindasamy said. "I wasn't expecting two wins and I nearly got three. Cutting Up Rough went a top race."

Goindasamy's father was a trackwork rider in Mauritius and he was instrumental in the 20-year-old becoming a jockey, sewing the seed in the early childhood days.

"I was really small and my father said I should be a jockey and from then on that's all I've wanted to be," Goindasamy said.

"When I was five I had to dress up for a fancy dress at school and my parents got a tailor to make me some jockeys' colours. I was the only one dressed as a jockey.

"I used to watch horse races on TV every weekend in Mauritius and went to the stable where Dad used to work."

Eight years ago, Goindasamy took a step toward realising his dream when learning to ride on ponies and other horses at the local equestrian centre and that led to an 18-month stint riding trackwork in Malaysia.

"But just as I got my licence there, my visa expired so that's when I decided to come to New Zealand," Goindasamy said.

"I knew a bit about New Zealand racing so I looked up the racing website [NZTR] and found Ralph Manning's name and rang him."

Manning encouraged Goindasamy to take the gamble in New Zealand and it's a move that has the young rider buzzing.

"He [Manning] has been such a big help and now I'm starting to get some good rides," Goindasamy said.

Goindasamy has fashioned a record of nine placings to go with his five wins from 35 rides over the last couple of months and one of those placings stands out for him, riding Big Mike into a close second behind Charles Road on the first day of the Hawke's Bay Spring Carnival.

"It was a big day riding at the premier meeting and so exciting," Goindasamy said. "I thought I was going to win, but Charles Road got us on the line."

With his 4kg apprentice claim, Goindasamy is now finding his services in more demand and will be kept busy with rides at each of the three northern meetings this week.

- NZ Racing Desk