After leading jockeys in wins on the NYRA circuit last year, Dylan Davis hopes to kick it up a notch in 2023

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Dylan Davis hopes finishing 2022 as the leading rider in wins (186) on the New York Racing Association circuit can open some eyes as he moves into 2023.

While some of Davis’s success came when many of the higher-profile riders were out of town – he was the leading rider at the 2021-22 Aqueduct winter meet – Davis did finish second in wins to Irad Ortiz Jr. at the 2022 Belmont spring meet, though he rode 111 more horses. Davis finished 11th in the Saratoga standings and was second at the Aqueduct fall meet, three behind Kendrick Carmouche.

Davis said the key to moving his way up the ladder in New York is making an impression on the bigger outfits, such as those of Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher, and Christophe Clement. In 2021, he won his first Grade 1 race, taking the E.P. Taylor at Woodbine with Mutamakina, trained by Clement.

Davis won four stakes in 2022 for trainer Mark Casse, including the $510,000 Nownownow at Monmouth Park with Webslinger.

“When you get those opportunities, make sure you get the job done for those guys and hopefully they give me more,” Davis said. “There are never any promises that they’ll follow through for the springtime because they have their guys they like to ride, but I do hope that I can hold onto a few horses that I’ve been riding throughout the winter and continue to win through the spring and summer.”

Saturday, he is expected to ride Lugan Knight for trainer Michael McCarthy in the $150,000 Jerome Stakes here.

Davis said one thing he’s looking to do this winter is take more trips to ride at Gulfstream Park on Wednesdays and, in March, when NYRA goes to a three-day week, Thursdays.

It was 22 months ago, at the end of the 2020-21 Aqueduct winter meet, that Davis suffered a broken collarbone that sidelined him about two months. He said he came back “revitalized” and feels he’s developed into a better rider.

“I became more aggressive, got the hunger back, and people just jumped back aboard and I was happy for that,” said Davis, who is represented by agent Michael Migliore. “Really thankful for the year and just pushing forward for a better year.”

In addition to being NYRA’s leading rider in wins, he finished third in purse money in 2022 with $12,367,369. Nationally, Davis’s 195 total wins last year ranked 16th and his $13,215,465 in earnings was 11th.