Aldo Domeyer

Being the son of a famous jockey can be a mixed blessing. When that famous jockey is Andrew Fortune, life can get interesting indeed. While Andrew’s story is the stuff of movie scripts, through persistence, patience and hard work, his son Aldo Domeyer is writing a success story of his very own.

“Always thought a Ferrari was over-rated till I actually sat on one!! This is worth the hours through the cold and rain. Think we found something special here.” So read Aldo Domeyer’s Facebook status after Silver Mountain’s debut win. How right he was.

It’s impossible to get away from the connection to his famous father, so we might as well get it out of the way. Andrew Fortune is known for many things, but while he might be loud and colourful on the ground, he is quiet on a horse. His ability to cut to the chase might land him in hot water with people, but in the saddle it’s a gift from heaven. An incredibly intuitive rider with an almost preternatural ability to read a horse, he has good hands, is a good judge and above all, has a God-given ability to make horses run for him.

Like father, like son?

While there are undeniable flashes of the ‘Fortune Factor’, it comes couched in a very different package. Aldo is taller and more athletic in build and is a much more gentle conversational proposition too.

Although he never rode growing up, Aldo relates that he always knew he wanted to be a jockey. “In those days they had racing on SABC and I used to watch my dad on TV. The thing that really swayed it for me was a horse called Free My Heart. He was my absolute hero. The way he used to finish a race was very exciting. I loved that horse. When he beat Jet Master in the Champion’s Cup – that’s when I decided being a jockey was definitely what I wanted. I’d seen Jet Master being rolled once out at exercise in Durban and even then he had this huge presence. I don’t think anyone will ever forget the day Free My Heart beat Jet Master. And to have my dad riding him – there were so many factors. You work all your life to find a horse like that. Hopefully this filly (Silver Mountain) could be one of those horses,” he says shyly.

Rocky Road to Success

“There was a bit of a misunderstanding, so I actually started at the Academy 3 months after the other guys. I caught up quite quickly and actually thought I was doing well. Then I got my first report card. I felt like crying that day – the riding master said he wasn’t sure I had a future as a jockey and that I was dragging the other apprentices behind.” He laughs, but it’s clear the comment landed hard. “I tried not to let it bother me. I was first at stables and last to leave, my marks were the highest in the class. I was doing everything they wanted. When you’re young you think things are going to work out fine.” They didn’t, and a few months later a desolate Aldo was asked to leave. He stayed in Durban for a while before going back to Cape Town and finishing the remainder of the school quarter. He skipped the next year of school to ride work, working alongside his father for Charles Laird in Joburg. “That toughened me up – my word,” he smiles again, but this time with genuine warmth. “That’s where I really learnt. No matter how hard he was on me, Mr Laird had a way of always turning things around. He once told me, ‘no matter how good someone says you are or how bad someone says you are, you have to let it be like water off a duck’s back.’ That’s been really good advice. There are a lot of ups and downs in racing and you can’t get too ahead of yourself, or too hard on yourself either. Another thing that often gets me through tough tasks is that sometimes when we think things are falling apart, it may be God’s way of everything falling into place. Everything that happened to me, happened in such a way that I ended up exactly where I needed to be at exactly the right time.”

He went back to Cape Town to finish his schooling. He got special dispensation from his headmaster to start school late and on days his uncle couldn’t drive him, he would leave his Elsies River home in the dark and catch a train to Cape Town. From there he’d take a series of taxis to get to Milnerton to ride work. “I’d mark a racecard on the way over and get the fare for free!” He started with the late Andre Heyns and says “His horses weren’t easy, so I had to learn quickly. Luckily he had a good sense of humour.” Then the Bass’s took him under their wing. “They took me in, gave me pocket money to get to work and money for school. If not for them I wouldn’t be here today.’’ There is a world of gratitude in the pause that follows.

He repeatedly reapplied to the Academy and was repeatedly rejected. He continued his studies, matriculated with good grades and got a job in his uncle’s engineering factory. “Because I was academic, he hoped I’d have a future outside racing. I did all the odd jobs, sweeping, cleaning machinery, you name it.” Inbetween the factory work, he continued his work riding and also worked as a handler on the racecourse. “I was already in a bit deeper than knee deep!”

Back to School

Unexpectedly his persistence paid off and the Academy accepted him back in 2007. Aldo had to start at the bottom of the rung along with the new intake – academic studies and all. “I had to go back to grooming with the youngsters. Luckily their company wasn’t too bad,” he says mischievously. “We’re all best friends now.”

Rather than the Fortune connection being a help, it was often a hindrance. “My dad is one of those people – you either like him or you don’t and people would assume I was the same and not want me to ride for them,” he says matter of factly. One legacy that did help was his natural affinity with horses. “I always had a way with hot horses and often those were the ones loaded with ability.” With support from Charles Laird, other stables followed suit and he rode 40 winners in his first season. “I couldn’t have had a better start.”

Aldo relocated to Cape Town, primarily riding for Joey Ramsden, but taking all the opportunities he was offered. When Karis Teetan moved to the Kotzen yard, he moved back to Durban and rode for the Gavin van Zyl string for a year. “It was quite successful while it lasted.” The Bass’s were supportive as always, giving him rides such as Blue Tiger in the Gold Challenge and eventually suggested that he move back to the Cape. The move was an immediate success and he booted home 4 consecutive winners for the Bass yard at Durbanville on 22 September 2010. “And it’s just gone from there really,” he smiles shyly.

He joined Plattner Racing and with it came the opportunity to ride Martial Eagle and of course his first Gr1 in the 2013 J&B Met. “I’d always done well, but it seems to change a jockey’s career, horses and races like that,” he muses. “That’s what this filly (Silver Mountain) has done for me too.”

Silver Mountain

“I didn’t know a great deal about her to begin with. I worked her when she was younger and knew she could run. She has quite a bit of personality and I was a little worried – when a family’s that hot, it’s easy to mistake personality for something else.” It’s clear the parallel with his own situation isn’t lost on him. “On her first run, Grant (van Niekerk) was suspended and I was fortunate to get the ride. Because of her temperament, we wanted to look after her first time out and she ran second, which was a blessing in disguise. That brought her on and she won her second start in a canter. That run brought her on again and at her next run we asked a lot of her to take on the older horses.”

The wide draw ahead of the Choice Carriers preyed on his mind though. “It was constantly running through my mind – how do I ride from that draw? I must say, at no stage did the Bass’ tell me what to do or waiver in their confidence in me and that in itself added pressure – I didn’t want to let them down after everything they’ve done for me. For a second I thought I’d get off the ride, but like Martial Eagle, this is the kind of horse that just gives you confidence. As Robert Fayd’herbe helped me mount up on Saturday I said to him she makes you feel like the draw doesn’t matter.”

“Races like that help change your career. Obviously she did a lot,” he acknowledges, “but when those tests come round, it’s up to you to step up and sometimes you don’t know what you’re capable of. The horse in the stall next to me reared up and that can be a set-back but this filly does everything you ask her to and not a stride more. Coming into the straight, I had my dad and Anthony Delpech in front of me and those are the horses you want to follow. It just all worked out and when I asked, she made those good horses look like they were standing still and she was doing pacework. I felt like crying for smacking her – I’ve never smacked her before – but she seemed very proud that she won.”

“Belinda has done all the work and a lot of the credit has to go to her, but the filly is in the right hands. With a horse loaded with ability like this, it’s easy to rush. At the Bass yard, she will get the time to be the best she can be.”

Aldo seems content, which is a rare thing in a jockey. “I’m happy,” he confesses. “It doesn’t happen often in life, but I’ve got a wonderful family behind me, things are going well professionally and this filly has given me a sense of completion. I worked for so long to find a horse like this – it’s hard to explain, but it gives you confidence.”

Christmas Initiative

In the true spirit of paying it forward, Aldo – along with the rest of the Coastal Jockeys Association – are giving up their spare time to help others this Christmas. “We raised some money from our race day and wanted to go where there was a need and where we could help most, so every Tuesday from now until Christmas we’re distributing food and beverages to the homeless and hungry. We started in Table View last week and there were a lot of happy faces! I put it on Facebook so that people would know where to come, but there’s been a great response from friends, family and the general public wanting to help or get involved. It’s still getting off the ground and we’re not sure exactly what is needed yet, but we’re starting with sandwiches and beverages and hope to work towards hampers, clothes, etc. My sponsor, Willem Koegelenberg from CLC Africa has come on board and Calvin The Barber who does a lot of local celebrities and sports stars, has offered to do all our hair for free and is giving free cuts to anyone who donates.”

It seems in all the best possible ways, Aldo really is a chip off the old block.