Just a mere mention of the name George HoSang is enough for anyone involved in horse racing in Jamaica to stop, draw a breath, and remember the prowess of arguably the greatest jockey ever to grace the pigskin in Jamaica.

HoSang is currently in the island as the special Derby Day guest of Supreme Ventures Limited and will grace the track tomorrow with his presence.

The Complete Racing Guide shares with its readers an interview with HoSang where he speaks openly about his life and times in horse racing in Jamaica and abroad.

CRG: COMPLETE RACING GUIDE

GH: George HoSang

CRG: George, good to see and talk with you again.

GH: It is a real pleasure being in Jamaica again. The last time I was here was like 13 years ago. I thank Supreme Ventures and Mr Paul Hoo for the invite, and I am really looking forward to be at the racetrack — my racetrack — on Saturday for the biggest race of all, the Jamaica Derby.

CRG: Tell us about your background.

GH: I grew up in Vineyard Town in St Andrew and went to Blake’s Prep on Glenmore Road. After that I spent four and a half years at Kingston College before entering racing at ‘Caymanas College’. Don’t laugh, Caymanas Park is a college.

CRG: Who was your apprentice master and how were your early years at the track?

GH: I started with trainer Fitz Crawford in the middle 1960s. Crawford was a really good and knowledgeable person. He taught me a lot and laid the foundation for my growth and development. Interestingly, Emilio Rodriquez and I were apprentices at Crawford’s stables at the same time, and because of that a very strong bond developed between us which continues even today. My early days were difficult as not a lot of Chinese people were riders, but I was determined and worked hard to achieve.

CRG: Riding your first winner, what was the feeling?

GH: My first winner was Short Circuit in a third race, and as life would have it, my next winner — Welsh Darling — came in the fourth race. Man, I cannot even begin to tell you how happy I was. To realise that after so much work you could actually pass the post in front is a feeling I cherish even to this day.

CRG: I remember you having some difficulties with fans at the racetrack.

GH: Yes, I rode a horse by the name of Creation who was a Derby winner trained by Laurie Silvera. Things didn’t go quite right on the day and I was taken to task by punters. “Chiney bwoy, yuh cyaan ride!” And even stronger stuff came my way. To tell the truth, Creation was part-owned by one of my family members who was doing his best to assist my career, and I was really trying to win on Creation. I can also share this with you: You know trainers get a commission when they win races. Silvera knew I was a young greenhorn just learning the trade, so when he agreed for me to ride Creation, he told my family member that if the horse lost the race, then he (my uncle) would have to pay the commission. True to his word, my uncle handed over the money to Silvera, and being the gentleman that he still is, Silvera gave back the money to my uncle.

CRG: Two Derby winners in a row, then a second and then another winner; what are your memories of those wins?

GH: I remember those Derby wins like it was yesterday. First there was King Pin in 1973. I had a choice in that race of riding Tachyon, who was eventually ridden by Jose “Juicy” Bravo for trainer Arthur Sharpe, or King Pin, and I chose King Pin because I thought he was the better stayer. There is a story attached to King Pin as he was originally owned and trained by Sharpe, but he sold the horse to Pato Chung and the rest is history. Then came the filly Titania in 1974, and Reca for Ren Gonzalves in 1976.

CRG: Of those three Derby winners, which one do you cherish most?

GH: King Pin was my first, so that is special. Titania was a filly, and to beat the ‘boys’ was out of the ordinary. Reca, oh yes, Reca! Reca was known in his previous races as a strong run-on horse, but in the Derby the pace was so slow that I decided to put him in front. When I was passing the stands for the first time, I could hear the voices of the fans cussing me, what was I doing? Well, it was two to three lengths all the way to the winning post! That is my fondest Derby win. I must mention Fairy Queen trained by Nigel Nunes. I loved that horse so much, and I can say that she was not the best horse I ever rode in Jamaica, but for sure she was my favourite. When she finished second in the 1975 Derby to Tudor Wit I was devastated. I had gotten so close to her, it was amazing. On a race day she would look me straight in the eyes and I knew that all was well. Sometimes I thought Fairy Queen was human.

CRG – Which other races stick out in your mind?

GH – There are several. The Fairy Queen loss in the Derby hurt a lot. Then there was the Governor’s Cup of 1974 when I rode Indian Flame, carrying 133 lb for Sharpe, and got beaten on the wire by an apprentice, Mikey Dixon, on Pheidippides, carrying less than 90 lb. The Superstakes win on The Viceroy in 1992 for Philip Feanny was out of the realm of ordinary. I had not been riding at Caymanas Park and got this opportunity to ride The Viceroy against a talented three-year-old Milligram, and somehow I got the job done. If I remember correctly, that Superstakes with The Viceroy was the first time a race in Jamaica was carrying a purse of $1 million. I have ridden some really talented horses – Eight Thirty, Davisville, Helen of Troy, Monte’s Stitch, and many others.

There is another race when Eight Thirty faced Davisville. I rode and had developed quite a relationship with both horses, but when they met I chose to ride Davisville for trainer Bobby Hale, and the trainer of Eight Thirty went for an apprentice — Simpson Brown, I think — who slipped seven pounds, taking her weight down to 126 lb. Luckily, for me, Davisville won the race in a tough stretch duel.

CRG: You left Jamaica for Canada in the late 1970s. Why?

GH: Things had changed dramatically. Instead of people at the track calling me “Dutty Chiney Man”, which was ok, sometimes even funny, they were now throwing bottles and stones at me and other jockeys. Then crimes with guns increased a lot. I was held up several times and things just became bad. I left and went to Canada where Jamaican trainers like Errol Lym, Laurie and Michael Silvera assisted me greatly in settling down at the Fort Erie racetrack. To this day I cannot forget that I won on the first horse I rode in Canada, where I eventually won the jockey’s title twice. It was really difficult leaving Jamaica. I was doing very well, the winners were coming in, I was happy with my girlfriend Shelley, I was happy with my family, and things could not have been better, but the situation changed and I was finding it very difficult. I felt threatened, so I went for Canada and then to Florida, where I still am today enjoying my retirement, as the word ‘work’ is no longer in my dictionary.

CRG: You had an awful accident in Florida in the late 1990s. Tell our readers about that.

GH: I was on a young filly at the Hialeah racetrack, a filly that was very calm and quiet, and one which had really caught my attention. Then the horse beside her in the gates started to jump and rail. That affected, my filly who railed and threw me off and then she landed on top of me, and in kicking out, one of her hooves hit me in the face. My mouth was completely smashed, I was out cold for a long while and when I woke up I was in hospital. It was as if my world had ended. It took me just over two years and three nagging surgeries to get back to where I am now. I still wake up in the mornings with some pain, which in another way is good, as that tells me I am still alive, but it was a long and torturous road back.

CRG: Do you know or understand your legacy in the annals of Jamaican racing — that you are a legend?

GH: Ah bwoy! Yes, I do have an understanding. I am thankful that I was able to achieve so much, four championships in a row from 1972, and the most winners – 167 – in a year, when there were much fewer race days than now. So yes, I have an understanding of my personal achievements. But let me stress, my personal achievements could not have taken place without help from others. It is always important to remember that aspect of life.

CRG: George, what made you special? You were not strong as, say, a Rodriquez, but you were so good in the saddle?

GH: For sure I was not as strong as Bimbo, but I quickly found out how to relate to the horses. I had a very good understanding of how to deal with horses from early in my career, then with time I started to understand and appreciate timing and pace, the key elements of riding winners. Every jockey goes into a race with a plan, but most times that plan flies through the window and you have to adapt. The better riders are the ones able to adapt on a consistent basis. Then there is something called hard work. You have to work hard; there can be no drop-offs. When you drop off the hard work, you lose out.

CRG: Your advice to young jockeys?

GH: Get a visa, not to run away, but to learn and develop riding skills. It is always good to ride against better jockeys and to ride on different racetracks. At one time I was a king in the saddle at Caymanas Park, but the ‘Caymanas College’ has so much that you can learn. One needs to experience riding in tight quarters more often without causing interference. That is my advice.

CRG: Mr George HoSang, thank you!

GH: Thank you too, and I wish everyone participating in the Derby on Saturday all the best. To win a Derby is very, very special. Good luck to all.