And the children shall lead us. At least, that’s the way it seemed in Thoroughbred racing across the land Sunday, when the youth movement among U.S. jockeys delivered a message no one could ignore.At Santa Anita, the rise of Drayden Van Dyke, 23, has been especially inspiring in the wake of his serious arm fracture of a year ago. He won with three of five mounts Sunday, including a breathtaking romp aboard the promising 3-year-old Justify for Bob Baffert.At Oaklawn Park, it is hardly news when Ricardo Santana, 25, has a good day, since he has won the last two local championships. He won with four of seven rides Sunday, putting him one back of David Cabrera as the meet enters its second month.At Laurel, seven-pound apprentice Wes Hamilton, 19, seized the day with four winners. Two of the wins were for trainer Dale Capuano and one was for Capuano’s brother Gary, and all of them were in some kind of nasty mud from the previous day’s heavy, wet snow.And at Aqueduct it was Dylan Davis, 23, who took full command of the card, winning six of the nine races, including the Gander Stakes for New York-breds, and hitting the board in the other three.Davis received most of the attention because he earned it, and because his father, Robbie Davis, was a mainstay of the New York riding colony for many years before his retirement. Three of Robbie’s six children are jockeys, which moved his spirit to consider a comeback not too long ago. But good sense prevailed, and the father can enjoy the show safely from the sidelines while the kids play in the street.Not so in Maryland, where Steve “Cowboy” Hamilton, 43, is riding boot to boot with Wes and enjoying nearly every minute. “That was an awesome day,” Steve said Monday morning. “He’s working hard, getting up early every morning, and doing what he’s supposed to do. It’s paying off for him.”Steve Hamilton was well into a solid career with more than 1,200 wins and counting when he suffered a broken back in a car wreck in 2006. He recovered, then made the choice to put his career on hold to help raise his two boys, Garrett and Weston, back in Oklahoma.“I shoed horses for 10 years,” Hamilton said. “About all the riding I did was trail riding, gathering cows. Having two boys, I always thought they’d be involved in racing in some shape or form. But neither one had shown much interest. When we came back here to Maryland to visit my wife’s family, I went back to the racetrack to see everybody. Wes took a look around and said, ‘You know, I think I might want to ride.’ ”Hamilton took his son seriously and hooked him up with Franklin Smith, whose training center in South Carolina has been a nursery for any number of young jockeys, including Hall of Famer Chris Antley. While Wes spent a year with Smith learning the ropes, Steve Hamilton made an unlikely comeback of his own in 2016.“It took me a little longer to get everything down pat again,” he said. “It wasn’t like I forgot anything, but you’ve got to get your timing back.”By 2017 Hamilton was in his old groove, ending up with 95 winners and nearly $3 million in mount earnings. The highlight, though, came Dec. 2, 2017, when Wes Hamilton rode his first race, and then nine days later recorded his first wins with a two-bagger at Laurel.Going into Monday’s racing, Wes Hamilton was third in the Laurel standings, while his father was in a tie for seventh.“Some people have asked if I’m just out there trying to get out of his way,” Steve said. “Well heck no. There’s still a lot of competitiveness between us. We were one-two in a $58 exacta not long ago, with him ahead of me. Then last week I was coming through at the sixteenth pole and got a head in front of him I hollered, ‘I got you, bud!’ I couldn’t help it.”Still, it is a father’s prerogative to worry.“The first month or so I was pretty nervous,” the elder Hamilton said. “I know what can happen. Then the more I watched him, and the more things he’s doing right, it’s not so bad at this point. He knows how to take care of himself. “A couple of horses have broke down on him, and he did a good job pulling them up,” Steve went on. “He actually went down on one about a month ago, and that was a scary thing. I was done for the day, so I took off running down the track. I got about a hundred yards down there when I seen him stand up and dust off. I said, ‘Well, he’s all right,’ and went back to the jocks room.”The boot, as they say, was on the other foot.“I rodeoed when I was a kid, and I never knew how my parents felt watching me knock my head on a bull or bucking horses,” Steve said. “But I know how they feel now, watching this boy ride.”Then the proud dad took over.“I don’t know if I’m getting ahead of the game,” he added, “but I’d sure like to see him have a shot at getting that Eclipse Award this year.”