Former jockey and longstanding assistant trainer Ricardo Sobotker has been appointed a Stipendiary Steward in the Eastern Cape.
While the NHA have made no announcement of it, the 47 year old Sobotker’s, who is also popularly known as Ricky or Avo, name appears as an ordinary entry in the latest racing calendar.
Ricardo Sobotker and Andrew Fortune
Sobotker took out his assistant trainers licence in 2002 and only ever worked for Joey Ramsden. They enjoyed great success with top horses, amongst others, the like Winter Solstice, Major Bluff, Bravura, Variety Club and King Of Pain.
Ricardo enjoyed a solid grounding in the racing game.
One of the first trainers he rode for, after completing his apprenticeship, was Ramsden, who in 1990 was running Vaughan Marshall’s yard in Port Elizabeth.
He then tried his luck in Cape Town but had no success so he returned to PE where he first rode for Dumas Coetzee and then ended his riding career with Gavin Smith.
Ricardo, a born and bred Capetonian, decided to return to his home town where he kept in touch with Joey by riding work and helping out in the yard.
In between his time with Joey he worked for Des McLachlan and Glen Puller.
Ramsden closed up shop last November and emigrated to Australia.
