He called himself the oldest jockey in Europe. And he was right, because even in September last year, at 63 years old, Angelo “Angioletto” Godani was capable of winning by beating jockeys who could have been his nephews. Italian horse racing, not only Sardinian, mourns the passing of the jockey from Lanusei, born in 1960, who died due to an illness.

Angelo Godani has spanned almost half a century of Sardinian galloping history, having made his debut at the age of 15. The first victory with Zuleika. Then many others: the Sardinian Derby 5 times, the most prestigious race on the island, the Criterium, the Italian Anglo-Arab Derby, the Internazionale in Chilivani. The last Derby won was in 2016 with a shout from Aighenta, at the "venerable age" of 56. But Angioletto kept fit with his very particular diet: lots of cigarettes, little water because it "makes you rust" as he said, wine, soda and few hours of sleep.

Godani won in all the racecourses in Italy where he raced (Milan, Pisa and Florence, just to mention a few) and in Sardinia he was also able to triumph in the palios: «I only miss the one in Fonni where I came second 12 times», he recalled in an interview.