As recently as 2015, it looked like Dylan Davis's career was stuck in neutral. He won just 57 races that year with earnings of $1,859,318. He was, at best, a middle-of-the-pack rider on the NYRA circuit. Fast forward to 2024 and a new Davis has emerged. With three months to go on the year he's already won 147 races and earned $11,318,656 and is on schedule to have the best year of his career.
His win aboard Todd Pletcher trainee Tapit Trice (Tapit) in last Saturday's GII Woodward Stakes was hardly a surprise as he is now riding for many of the top trainers on the circuit and he proved himself at the toughest meet possible, Saratoga, finishing with 36 wins. That was good for a tie for third in the standings behind only Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Flavien Prat.
What has changed his fortunes? That was among the questions Davis, the Guest of the Week, answered on the TDN Writers' Room Podcast, which is presented by Keeneland.
“I think it was a matter lot of hard work and grinding it out throughout the years on the NYRA circuit and just building my business up with my agent Mike Migliore,” Davis said. “He was a big believer in me in the beginning. I have been improving as a rider and Mike has improved as an agent. We work together and I think communication has been a big factor for us. We try to build on our success every year and look toward the future. I'm really happy with it and am just trying to continue to capitalize on all the opportunities that are given to me.”
Davis said that at one point he was ready to leave New York for a lesser circuit.
“I was at a point where I was going to leave New York because I wasn't doing well enough throughout the wintertime,” Davis said. “I thought that I would have to go somewhere again and then come back again and try the next winter. I was working with Rudy Rodriguez in the morning, 5:30, with no agent and trying to see what opportunities were available to me. Mike Migliore, he was there every morning, at 5:15, trying to get my book.
“I really didn't pay no mind to him because he had no experience in New York and didn't know many people,” said Davis. “But because he wanted me so badly and he didn't have many established relationships, I thought we could both start fresh. I saw that he had the passion and he had the drive that I was looking for in an agent that was willing to put in the hard work and lay it down just as badly as I did. I gave him the opportunity and I put a lot of trust into him and that's what we see today, that all that hard work is paying off.”
Davis has even caught the eye of Charlie Appleby, who has given him three mounts this year, including Beautiful Love (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}). Davis teamed up with that filly to win the GIII Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks Invitational.
“It actually started when I beat Silver Knott (GB) with Carson's Run at Saratoga [in the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes]. So Flavien [Prat] wasn't available and I heard that he said, 'I want that jockey that beat me in that race.' That's how he got me,” Davis said. “They must have liked what they saw from my riding abilities and my performance for them. I'm just trying to do my best out there for whoever I ride for and I'm happy to ride for new clients, especially someone like Mr. Appleby.”
In our breeding spotlight section we looked at the WinStar stallion Life Is Good.
Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, West Point Thoroughbreds, WinStar and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Zoe Cadman and Bill Finley reviewed the California Crown races at Santa Anita and the concept behind the redesign. Is it the type of event that will create new racing fans? Moss and Cadman, who were both at the event, gave it favorable reviews. They also looked ahead to the big races that will be run this weekend at Keeneland, Aqueduct and Santa Anita.
To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To listen to the show as a podcast, click here.
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