Two sons of Newmarket living the dream as jockeys in New Orleans
Former trainer Patrick Gilligan visits his son Jack and Adam Beschizza
New Orleans is different to everywhere else. It is like three continents got thrown into a washing machine and spun around. One got pulled out, at its bottom edge was a splash of colour, and that was New Orleans.
It is ghost stories and voodoo, horse-drawn carriages and trams, old-world cobbled streets with rows of tiny shuttered houses, cosy corner restaurants and intimate shadowy jazz bars. Music draws you everywhere and around the next corner you may find a ragged old man dancing or a young woman singing, and from one moment to the next you don’t know if you will fall in love or have your wallet taken. I almost fancy saying that if you haven’t been to New Orleans, you haven’t really been anywhere.
I have flown to this place to visit two sons of Newmarket, born and raised. Now they are here in this urban fantasyland plying their trade as jockeys, far from the eternal heath. And I am here to find out why.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Copy- Government says it is working 'at pace' to have white paper measures in force by the summer
- 'The only thing you can do is lie fallow and regroup' - Meades to return with scaled-back operation following blank period
- The Gambling Commission has launched its new corporate strategy - but what are the key points?
- 'It was tragic it happened to Paddy but it was a good thing for the jockeys who followed - good came out of bad'
- Acquisitions, exits and retail resilience - what we learned from Flutter and 888's results
- Government says it is working 'at pace' to have white paper measures in force by the summer
- 'The only thing you can do is lie fallow and regroup' - Meades to return with scaled-back operation following blank period
- The Gambling Commission has launched its new corporate strategy - but what are the key points?
- 'It was tragic it happened to Paddy but it was a good thing for the jockeys who followed - good came out of bad'
- Acquisitions, exits and retail resilience - what we learned from Flutter and 888's results