Hometown Jockey Dylan Davis on a Tear in Saratoga

At the start of this year's Saratoga meet, jockey Dylan Davis had a goal of beating the 19 wins he came home with last year. With two weeks still left to go before the NYRA circuit heads back downstate, Davis has already accomplished what he set out to do.

He has scored 23 wins, including multiple stakes victories and his first Grade I in the U.S., and is currently ranked fourth in a highly competitive Saratoga jockey colony. The 29-year-old has finished in the money in 45% of his 119 starts and his average win payoff of $19.90 is best among the top 15 riders this meet.

Those stats are all well and good, but Davis is more excited about the type of horse he is landing here in Saratoga.

“It has been incredible,” shared the jockey who graduated just a few miles from the track at Saratoga Springs High School. “I've already had a four-winner day, so that's new. My best was a three-winner day. The quality of horses I've been riding has improved and I'm having a lot of success, so I'm just continuing to ride the train.”

Davis inherited a thrill-seeking nature from his father, retired jockey and trainer Robbie Davis. Growing up, the younger Davis fulfilled his innate need for speed through the world of motocross, a type of off-road motorcycle racing. When he turned 16, Davis bumped up to a class that required him to have a bigger, more powerful bike.

“I asked Dad for a bigger bike and it's a funny story because he said that it was too dangerous because a bigger bike would mean bigger jumps and more speed,” recalled Davis. “I started laughing because what he did for a living was horse racing.”

Instead of purchasing a bike with more horsepower, Robbie Davis suggested that his son consider some literal horsepower. Davis learned the ropes of becoming a jockey by jogging through the back fields of Saratoga behind the annex and having his dad pony him around the track. After graduating from Chris McCarron's North American Racing Academy, Davis earned his first win in 2012 at Suffolk Downs.

From the start, Davis's goal was to follow in his father's footsteps and ride the NYRA circuit. It was slow going at first, but over the past few years with the help of agent Mike Migliore, Davis's dedication and talent is starting to show on the big stage.

“It's a very prestigious circuit, especially Saratoga,” said Davis. “It took three or four years of a lot of hard work to really build the foundation and build the business to where it is today. It wasn't an overnight thing. You definitely ride waves in racing. You have lulls, but we were able to stick it out, push through and always look on the other side of the fence.”

Davis is a year-round presence in New York, where he has competed again his sisters Katie and Jackie and brother-in-law Trevor McCarthy. He earned his first riding title at the 2021-22 winter meet at Aqueduct and scored his 1,000^th career victory in May of 2022 at Belmont Park.

Against a brilliant backdrop, Davis and Carson's Run score in the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes | Sarah Andrew

That first Grade I score eluded Davis until 2021, when he ventured out of New York to Woodbine Park and piloted Mutamakina (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) to victory in the E.P. Taylor Stakes for Christophe Clement. He scored another Grade I at the same Canada track with the same trainer in 2023 aboard Carson's Run (Cupid) in the Summer Stakes.

Carson's Run took Davis to his first Breeders' Cup last year for the Juvenile Turf. While the West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey-campaigned colt finished a disappointing ninth at Santa Anita, he more than made up for it this summer when he handed Davis his first stateside Grade I victory in the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes on Aug. 11.

“For my first Grade I in the states to be at Saratoga, in my hometown, I can't even put it into words,” said Davis. “It was an incredible feeling and I'm so happy that it all worked out to be in Saratoga.”

Davis said that this year, Carson's Run has had a habit of getting himself worked up during races. Davis's key to the win in the Saratoga Derby was helping the 3-year-old relax and then switch on at the right moment. Davis patiently navigated Carson's Run from last to first, angling five wide at the top of the stretch and then edging past Legend of Time (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) before hitting the wire.

“I ended up finding myself last in the race but I was very happy with the way he was handling himself and then we just worked a trip out from there saving ground and then tipping out to the outside, which is the position he likes,” explained Davis. “Finding myself on top was an incredible feeling. There were so many emotions with all that hard work I put in and then to finally get there, there was a lot of gratitude and thanks to everybody.”

Davis has had plenty of other winning rides at the stakes level this meet, including two victories aboard The Queens M G (Thousands Words). The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained juvenile filly finished last in the Astoria Stakes on Belmont weekend prior to Davis obtaining the mount for the current meet, where the pair has reeled off wins in the Schuylerville Stakes at 44-1 odds and then the GIII Adirondack Stakes.

“She was a longshot in the Schuylerville and I was lucky to get on her,” Davis said. “She had run poorly in her previous start after shipping out that week and she just never handled it. There was too much with the crowd and the heat. She was able to stay here afterward and get accustomed to the course. Saffie told me to make sure she gets relaxed and make a nice, steady run down the lane. When you're at the right place at the right time, especially in Saratoga, you can get lucky and pick up a good horse.”

Dylan Davis breezes in company with sister Katie Davis over the Oklahoma | Sara Gordon

Also this meet, Davis was aboard Pounce (Lookin at Lucky) for her victory in the GIII Lake George Stakes for Mark Casse and Resolute Racing and he rode the Brad Cox-trained, Stonestreet Stables-owned Fandom (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) to a front-running score in the Mahony Stakes. At odds of 22-1, Davis piloted Parnac (FR) (Zarak {FR}) to a runner-up performance in the GII Glens Falls Stakes. The highly regarded $1.2 million 2-year-old purchase Sandman (Tapit) was among the half-dozen maiden winners Davis has had this meet.

As he continues to build a reputation, Davis said he hopes he is recognized for his patient riding and an ability to connect with his mount.

“I think my specialty is being able to get a horse to relax and get them to finish well,” he said. “For me personally, I am disregarding what others are doing and riding my own horse, almost like I'm by myself in the race. I get the horse to get comfortable, wherever that is, and then just relax and wait for the stretch run.”

On Travers day this coming Saturday, Davis will return to the Grade I level with Shidabhuti (Practical Joke) in the Ballerina Handicap. Earlier this year, he rode the Chad Brown trainee to a win in the Distaff Stakes at Aqueduct. The jockey also has the mount on Full Screen (ON) (Big Screen) in the GI Forego Stakes for Mark Casse.

Once the Saratoga meet has concluded, Davis will have his eye on the Breeders' Cup. After racing in his first championship meet last year, he is hopeful that some of the horses that have performed well for him here in Saratoga will make it to Del Mar come November.

“That's a long-term goal for me to win at the Breeders' Cup,” he said. “And then another is to just continue to ride well and get those big horses, maybe find a Kentucky Derby mount for next year. But it's been a phenomenal meet so far and the Grade I really tops the charts with Carson's Run. Now that I've done it, I want to look for more and keep continuing on that incline.”