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Pico Perdomo in the media

Perdomo opening door to new life as international bloodstock agent

Life is just beginning for Pico Perdomo.
His third life, that is. Previously a champion jockey in South America and later a trainer in California who conditioned 2001 champion older female Gourmet Girl, Perdomo, 61, has embarked on a new career as a bloodstock agent that already has taken him around the world.

Pushed out of training last year by the high costs of workers compensation insurance, Perdomo said he initially missed the racetrack -the hustle of activity punctuated by the snorting of horses and the aroma of hay. But after spending the past month caring for Argentine Group 1 winner From the Sky for his longtime friend, trainer Neil Dysdale, he said he has gained a new outlook.
"When I took responsability for this horse, it was difficult to get up early every morning again," the softspoken Perdomo said with a chuckle while sitting in the quarantine office on the backstretch of Nad al Sheba racecourse in Dubai. "I started to appreciate what I'm doing now. Until then, I missed training a lot.
"I was winning races and making money, but I was paying $38 [in workers' compensation costs] for every $100 and I was going broke," he added of his decision to leave the daily track life. "And I was too old to go broke."

Traveling to Argentina, Perdomo watched From the Sky waltz to a seven-length victory in the Joaquin S. de Anchorena (Arg-Gl) on December 13 at San Isidro. He then engineered a deal for international owner Gary Tanaka to acquire the four-year-old son of Salt Lake from Haras Rio Claro and transfer the chestnut colt to Drysdale.
Perdomo's ties to Drysdale extend back 33 years, when he galloped horses while Drysdale worked as assistant to the late Racing Hall of Fame trainer Charlie Whittingham.
He also can claim a landmark achievement with Tanaka, the London-based investment banker who races around the globe but who had never campaigned a champion until Perdomo tightened the girth around Gourmet Girl during her six-year-old season, when she won two Grade 1 stakes. Gourmet Girl showcased not only Perdomo´s training talents, but also his eye for horses; he purchased the daughter of Cee´s Tizzy for $3,500 as a yearling in 1996.

	Pico Perdomo and From the Sky.

When Drysdale watched a video of From the Sky and liked what he saw, the deal was concluded and Perdomo was dispatched from his home in Santa Monica, California, to Argentina to take over interim training duties. A Uruguayan native, he traveled with From the Sky on a grueling journey that included stops in Africa and Germany prior to landing in Dubai.

From the Sky´s goal in Dubai was the United Arab Emirates Derby (UAE-G2) on March 27, but those plans were shelved when he did not seem to be his usually eager self in a workout five days before the race. But Perdomo -and Drysdale and Tanaka- have much agent to look forward to in the future with the colt, whom Perdomo planned to accompany on the long flight from Dubai to California, where he will be prepared for racing in the United States later this year.
"We know we have a very tough horse on the grass," Perdomo said, noting that From the Sky covered 1,600 meters (7.95 furlongs) in 1:32.06 on a fast course in the De Anchorena. "The horse wants to go, go, go; he's hyper. So, he´s a good fit with Neil because Neil goes the other way."

Despite the disappointment of not racing in Dubai, Perdomo´s time was not wasted because he was able to mingle with horsemen from around the globe and talk about bloodstock. His new line of work has propelled him into the jet set as he regularly travels to South America, Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore to buy and sell horses.
"Not too many people can do what I have done," Perdomo said, reflecting with a laugh on his 30 years in South America that included his stint as a jockey and about 30 years to date in the U.S. that encompassed his training career. "Now I just need another 30 years."

By: Michele MacDonald
Source: MILE POST

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