Keeneland: Apprentice Dylan Davis wins his fifth race

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Dylan Davis, the 19-year-old youngest child of famed retired jockey Robbie Davis, picked up the fifth win of his short riding career in piloting Skylander to victory in the second race at Keeneland on Friday. Per racing rules, with his fifth victory his weight allowance as an apprentice was reduced from 10 pounds to 7.

Davis rode like a veteran in winning aboard Wesley Ward-trained Skylander ($8.60), confidently bringing him from off the pace to win under a hand ride in a race for $20,000 3-year-old claimers. The win was his first at Keeneland.

After receiving congratulations from those on track, he was soon reached by his father on Ward’s cell phone, and he and Robbie Davis laughed about the young rider never turning over his stick in the stretch.

Davis, born in Saratoga Springs N.Y., not far from the racetrack, learned his craft at the North American Riding Academy, a school run by Hall of Fame Jockey Chris McCarron that his sister, jockey Jackie Davis, attended during its inaugural year.

Jackie Davis currently rides summers at Suffolk Downs and winters at Aqueduct in New York.

Dylan Davis, too, has experience at Suffolk, riding his first winner there Sept. 19 of last year aboard Solider Sam. He began his riding career last summer at Saratoga.

Davis said his opportunities are expanding now with the support of Ward, the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice rider of 1984 before going into training about a decade later.

A race after winning aboard Skylander, Davis rode for Ward again, although this time the result was a runner-up finish with Princess Millie, who proved no match for front-running Bully Girl in race 3.

Davis said he is undecided where he will ride after the spring Keeneland meet concludes, but mentioned Churchill Downs, Pimlico, and Monmouth as possible tracks.