Da Silva settles into new life

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – For those who thought that the retirement of Woodbine’s perennial leading rider Eurico Da Silva wouldn’t last for too long, you thought wrong.

Da Silva said he’s content with his new endeavors and the newfound time for family life following a 30-year career in the saddle that ended Dec. 15 with another Woodbine riding title. That he currently weighs 123 pounds, 12 more than his riding weight, indicates a return to the tack is unlikely.

Da Silva, a native of Brazil who turns 45 on June 29, has been developing a business as a life coach.

“I’m a certified life coach,” Da Silva said. “I just finished another one-year course on neuro-linguistics, and now I’m going for my masters in NLP. It’s a very tough course.”

Neuro-linguistic programming is a psychological approach that involves analyzing strategies used by successful individuals and applying them to reach a personal goal.

Da Silva said it would have been an ordeal for him to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic as a jockey.

“I cannot picture myself there anymore,” Da Silva said. “I’ve had severe asthma since I was 6. I was taking five medicines for it last year. I’ve seen many lung specialists in Canada. Even when taking the meds, my lungs were always inflamed. When I retired, I guess the stress is gone. I only take one little pill now, and that’s it. I got lucky. If I went back to the track and caught this virus, I’m dead.”

Da Silva also said he’s planning on opening a school for tae kwon do, the Korean martial art that he has practiced for 10 years.

“It’s something that I love,” Da Silva said. “The guy who trained me for four years asked me to join him.”

Da Silva recently won his seventh Sovereign Award for outstanding jockey. The highlight of his 2019 season was an upset score on El Tormenta in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, which was one of the few Woodbine marquee races that had eluded him. He has won the Queen’s Plate twice, the Grade 1 Canadian International once, and the Woodbine Oaks twice.

Magic Tapit tops feature

There’s no stakes on Sunday’s 11-race card, which is headed by a second-level optional claimer at seven furlongs on the Tapeta in the third race.

The six-horse field includes the talented Magic Tapit, who wintered at Payson Park in Florida with Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield. Since an improved third-place finish in the slop on May 10 at Gulfstream, Magic Tapit has recorded two five-eighths bullet works here on the Tapeta, over which he graduated at 3 in 2017.

Magic Tapit is shedding the blinkers, with Rafael Hernandez getting the mount.