Star Canadian Jockey Da Silva to Walk Away While Still on Top

Eurico Rosa Da Silva | Michael Burns

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He's 44, not that old for a jockey, and he has been the dominant rider in Canadian for several years. Based on what he is doing on the racetrack, you would think his focus would be on how many more races he can win over the next several years. But Eurico Rosa Da Silva believes there is more to life than winning races.

Having grown up in a broken home in Brazil, Da Silva is very devoted to his family and wants to spend more time with his children, who are 7, 3 and 9 months old. He says the demands of being a jockey don't allow him the family time he craves, so when Woodbine ends its 2019 meet on Dec. 15, he will officially retire.

The news of his retirement was first reported by the Toronto Sun.

“It's about my family,” Da Silva said. “That's why I am retiring. This job takes a lot of hours out of you. I have three kids and I want to have the type of life where I can spend more time with them.”

He said he has been planning to retire for nearly four years and, behind the scenes, has been training to be a life coach, who will work with other athletes, and not just jockeys. He said he has already recruited some NBA players.

“When you are an athlete, you are very lonely because very few people understand what you go through every day,” he said. “I'm 44. I don't want to wait to get to 50 to start a new business. I'm still young enough to start a new business and when I am 54, 55, I will have had 10 years experience.”

Though he is committed to his future profession, he said he will not take on any more than 15 clients because he does not want to find himself back in a position where his work is keeping him away from his family.

Da Silva had a rough childhood and said he left home at five to live with his grandparents because his father was a “bad person.”

“I grew up without my family,” he said. “I left my house when I was very young to live with my grandparents. I am very thankful to them, but it was hard. I was never around my father much, but I feel lucky that I wasn't because he was not a good person. This is why my own family means so much to me.”

He rode in Brazil and Macau before coming to Canada in 2004. He has won six Sovereign Awards as Canada's outstanding jockey and was the leading rider each year at Woodbine from 2015 through 2018. His 237 wins in 2018 set a single season Woodbine record. Entering the Aug. 21 card, he trailed Rafael Hernandez in the standings by five wins.

He's won the Queen's Plate twice, in 2009 and 2010, and has won over 2,175 races since arriving in North America.

“Some of the other jockeys are saying that I am making the wrong decision,” he said. “Others say that I should ride at least one more year. I've been preparing myself for around four years to retire. I want to leave when I'm on top. I didn't want to let myself go to the bottom and then stop. Will I make a comeback? That's not going to happen.”

He says he has hired someone to help him recruit athletes that he can coach and has already lined up a handful of clients. He said he could not name the NBA players for confidentially reasons, but said none play for the Toronto Raptors, last season's NBA champs. He realizes he could probably make a lot more money as a jockey than in the new profession he has chosen for himself, but says that is not important to him.

“I'm not looking to get busy again,” he said. “I want balance in my life.”

He said his children were pleased when they learned they would soon be spending more time with their father, but his oldest was also concerned about his favorite horse, Pink Lloyd (Old Forester).

Da Silva is the regular rider of the sprinter who has became a legendary figure at Woodbine. He is 20 for 25 lifetime and has won 17 stakes races. At one point, the 7-year-old gelding won 11 in a row and 13 of 14.

“My 7-year-old was upset,” Da Silva said. “He said, 'Dad, what's going to happen now to Pink Lloyd?' He was worried about him. I told him they will find another jockey, a very good jockey, to ride him next year. When he retires, I believe the plan is to send him to LongRun (a Thoroughbred retirement facility close to Woodbine). That's five minutes from where I live and I told my son we can go visit him all the time.”

Da Silva seems very much at peace with his decision and has been overwhelmed by the support he has received from the Woodbine community.

“I will miss the people a lot and the horses,” he said. “The people…I have people at the racetrack who I consider my family. Not just owners, but grooms, exercise riders. These are people I love. You have no idea. People have came to me crying, saying 'I can't believe you are doing this.' I tell them, 'Don't worry, I will come back to visit you.' I have had so many texts and calls and emails from people wishing me well. That makes me feel very good.”

Da Silva said he had never really before bothered to look back at his career, how much he had accomplished and how far he had come from someone growing up in a bad situation in Brazil only to establish himself as one of the top riders in Canadian history. It is starting to sink in.

“When I was a kid growing up, I always visualized that I would be successful in some ways,” he said. “Now, though, that I look back, it's quite surprising. Wow, I won all these races.”

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