Champion apprentice Van Dyke scores first win as journeyman

ARCADIA, Calif. – Drayden Van Dyke, the champion apprentice jockey of 2014, had his first win as a journeyman Friday aboard the 3-year-old Ernest Shackleton.

Van Dyke, 20, may have a stakes horse in Ernest Shackleton, a candidate for turf stakes in March and April. Ernest Shackleton, imported from Ireland last fall, won for the first time in the U.S. on Friday. The colt is trained by Doug O’Neill.

Van Duke downplayed the move from apprentice to journeyman. Ernest Shackleton was the 199th win of his career.

“I’m just happy to win,” he said.

One benefit of the change is the ability to add a few pounds to his five-foot frame. Van Dyke had a five-pound weight claim as an apprentice, which forced him to keep his weight down to make lower assignments.

Van Dyke said he rode at 111 pounds Friday and could let that rise to 113 and make his required weight. At the same time, Van Dyke said he spent Friday morning going for a jog in the mountains above Santa Anita.

“It allows me to be a little more flexible,” he said of the move to a journeyman.

Van Dyke is scheduled to ride Talco in the Arcadia Stakes.