![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/i-was-a-top-jockey-who-won-20m/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/0_GettyImages-1555630726.jpg&description=Nicholas Hall, who changed his name to Vimal, has spent the past few years since retiring trotting around the globe, embarking on a "strong process" of finding himself in places like India and Costa Rica Imagine banking £20million as a jockey, only to shun stardom and go off the grid. That's exactly what former horse racing sensation Nicholas Hall did, despite reaching the big time as a winner of the Caulfield Cup in both 2013 and 2016. Abruptly retiring less than two years after his latter victory which helped him become a household name in his native Australia, the Brisbane-born ace had grown weary of the sport's trials and tribulations which led to injuries and weight issues. Hall, who's now 36, ultimately decided that he'd start a new journey, predominantly residing in India and later Costa Rica under a new name. After packing some belongings and spending more than £4,000 on tattoos to cover his upper half, the Aussie settled in a kind of religious retreat - called an ashram - near the city of Pune and began what he says was a "strong process" of finding himself. Hall, who became known as Vimal - a name which comes from the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit - has now opened up on his path to inner peace in an interview with the Herald Sun. "I guess it's to do with letting go of your old identity and anything attached to that," he began. "It was a pretty strong process to go through. "I didn't leave the ashram for three months, you can, you're not locked up, but the only people you see start calling you by this new name. It's a bit of a reset on your whole ego, really, it was no small thing to go through, actually." Only some unusual Instagram activity hinted at Hall's whereabouts but he eventually returned to Australia, where he worked as a barrier attendant. Tracked down by a news outlet in 2020, Hall politely declined to divulge the details of his new life, which involved spending time in Greece and later England, where his mother lives. Then heading to Cost){kind=link}
Nicholas Hall, who changed his name to Vimal, has spent the past few years since retiring trotting around the globe, embarking on a “strong process” of finding himself in places like India and Costa Rica
Imagine banking £20million as a jockey, only to shun stardom and go off the grid.
That’s exactly what former horse racing sensation Nicholas Hall did, despite reaching the big time as a winner of the Caulfield Cup in both 2013 and 2016. Abruptly retiring less than two years after his latter victory which helped him become a household name in his native Australia, the Brisbane-born ace had grown weary of the sport’s trials and tribulations which led to injuries and weight issues.
Hall, who’s now 36, ultimately decided that he’d start a new journey, predominantly residing in India and later Costa Rica under a new name. After packing some belongings and spending more than £4,000 on tattoos to cover his upper half, the Aussie settled in a kind of religious retreat – called an ashram – near the city of Pune and began what he says was a “strong process” of finding himself.
Hall, who became known as Vimal – a name which comes from the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit – has now opened up on his path to inner peace in an interview with the Herald Sun. “I guess it’s to do with letting go of your old identity and anything attached to that,” he began. “It was a pretty strong process to go through.