HORSE RACING-Walcott ‘excited’ about Woodbine’s move

TORONTO, Canada, CMC – Multiple-times Alberta champion, Rico Walcott, says he is “excited” about his pending move to the prestigious Woodbine in Toronto and hopes to succeed in his new arena when racing gets underway next month.

The 33-year-old Barbadian has dominated horse racing in western Canada for the last 13 years but has decided to move his tack to central Canada, joining a colony that already boasts a plethora of Barbadian riders, including the legendary Patrick Husbands.

At Woodbine, Walcott will team up with new agent Anthony Esposito, who also serves top jockey Rafael Hernandez – Woodbine’s 2020 champion and the runner-up last year.

“I’ve never met Anthony in person. It will be the first time when I get to Toronto at the end of the month. He contacted me, and we spoke over the phone several times,” Walcott said.

“He’ll do his part, and I’ll do my part. I’m not nervous. I’m excited. And I’ll know a lot of the other riders. There are lots of jockeys from Barbados there.

“I just hope I get a fair amount of good horses to ride.”

He continued: “I’ll do my best in Toronto. I’ll work hard. I ride hard all the time. I give my all in every race. I want to win. I don’t know any different.

“I took a long time [before moving to Woodbine]. A lot of my friends have been telling me to go for years. I should have tried Toronto several years ago. But I’ve finally decided to give it a shot.”

Walcott arrived in Alberta 16 years ago and set about making a name at the now-defunct Northlands Park in Edmonton, winning eight riding titles between 2011 and 2018.

When racing moved to nearby Century Mile, Walcott captured the jockey titles in 2020 and 2021 after taking some time following surgery on a brain tumor in 2019.

Overall, Walcott has won 1 524 races for earnings of around CAN$20 million and said moving away from Alberta would be difficult.

“Everyone treated me so well,” Walcott said.
“The trainers. The owners. And all the fans. I especially have to thank Bob Fowlis, my agent.

“He’s the best. He was by my side all the time. He helped me out a lot, man. I’ll miss him.”

Last year, Walcott won his fifth Canadian Derby but first at Century Mile with Great Escape, following on from success at Northlands in 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2018.
The CAN$200 000 Grade III race is Alberta’s richest stakes event.