Racing: Stringent diet pays off for Riddell

Jonathan Riddell. Photo / Natalie Slade

Jockeys are not meant to eat a lot - right?

But they are supposed to eat reasonably.

Jonathan Riddell can't afford to.

When the Herald called Riddell around noon on Thursday for a Derby story he wasn't available, he was in his home-built sauna.

"He spends his whole life in the sauna," said partner Trena.

Riddell had taken the ride, at 56kg, on the favourite Randsomed in the last race on Thursday at Awapuni, just down the road from his home.

He spent much of the day sweating in his sauna.

When he got to the races he was overweight and was stood down.

With replacement Craig Grylls aboard, Randsomed flew home and was beaten a head.

Riddell pocketed the $100-something for his only other ride, at 59kg, in the second-last race and left contemplating pretty much a lost day.

He had another problem - 48 hours later he had to make that same 56kg to ride Jimmy Choux in the $2.2 million Telecom Derby.

This time for had, read HAD.

There was no room for error.

If you wondered why Jonathan Riddell on Saturday didn't throw his arm around in the wild whip salute most do when winning a Derby, he didn't have the residual energy to lift his arm. It even took 45 seconds-plus for a faint smile to appear.

Winning a Derby is every jockey's Mt Everest outside of the Melbourne Cup, but that aside this is no way to live your life.

Riddell has always had the talent to earn the huge bucks from riding in feature races on the flat, but his solidly built body wouldn't let him.

For years he had to ride only six months in every 12 for pocket money competing in jumps races.

It was like the cruelty of a leading brain surgeon developing MS.

Riddell has tortured his body with denial in the past three years since deciding to give flat riding one more attempt and if you didn't feel elated for him as he swept past the winning post late Saturday you are a spoilsport.

Even in the disappointment of finishing second, fellow rider Chad Ormsby, on Historian, patted Riddell on the shoulder as he went by him pulling up.

Ormsby, who has horrendous weight issues himself, did what we all wanted to do, except he was in the right spot to do it. He of all people knows what Riddell has to go through.

Adrenalin is the world's most powerful drug and it was all that was going through Jonathan Riddell's system as he guided Jimmy Choux into a perfect mid-field position on Saturday.

From there, the horsepower took over and did much of the rest except making the decision when to make his run forward to the leaders.

Jimmy Choux took over at the top of the home straight, perhaps earlier than many would have guessed.

"It's a long way down that straight when you're in front, but I knew it would take something very special to get past us," said Riddell.

The remarkable element was the ease of the win.

Historian looked certain to run past Jimmy Choux at the 200m, but just as he started to draw alongside, Jimmy Choux produced another kick and was working away again on the line.

"He was loafing and only got going when he saw Historian coming," said Riddell.

"He had more gas left."

Stunning.