A Name You Should Know: Drayden VanDyke
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Drayden VanDyke is an apprentice jockey worth keeping an eye on. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
Apprentice jockey Drayden VanDyke's riding is nearly as hot as the California sun. A leading apprentice on the West Coast, VanDyke is off to a fast start in his young riding career. Read on to find out nine reasons why you should know who he is.
1. His goal is to win the 2014 Eclipse Award for leading apprentice rider. He’s well on his way, too, with 103 victories and $2,723,977 in earnings in 593 starts this year.
2. Last week he became the first apprentice rider to win a riding title in Southern California since 1998. VanDyke won 12 races at the inaugural summer race meet at Los Alamitos to defeat veteran Joe Talamo by four victories. Even more impressive—VanDyke was in Chicago to ride on Saturday, July 12 so he won the Los Al riding title while riding only seven of the eight days of the meet.
VANDYKE AFTER HIS FOURTH WIN ON THE DAY AT LOS ALAMITOS
Photo by Benoit Photo
3. He can ride at the top level. VanDyke started off the high-class Del Mar meet with a bang, bagging two winners on the opening day card, and he was featured in opening weekend’s Doughnuts at Del Mar jockey Q and A. He’s also ridden in graded stakes and he’s come pretty close to winning one already in his young career. VanDyke rode Gulsary to a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Modesty Handicap at Arlington on July 12. The duo was closing fast and only beaten a neck.
4. Tom Proctor has taken him under his wing. “Old-school” horseman Proctor first noticed VanDyke when he was a kid hanging out on the backstretch at Churchill Downs. He eventually realized how much VanDyke wanted to learn and sent him to Glen Hill Farm in Ocala, Fla. to test his work ethic. VanDyke spent time in the barns with the 2-year-olds before heading west to California where Proctor gave him a shot at race riding. VanDyke won his first race in his second start for Proctor and has had a number of big mounts for him since.
5. Racing is in his blood. Born in Louisville, Ky., home of Churchill Downs, and raised in Hot Springs, Ark., home of Oaklawn Park, VanDyke never strayed far from Thoroughbred racing and spent a lot of time on the backside of the track. His dad Seth was a jockey through the mid-‘90s and works as an exercise rider today. His parents discouraged him from pursuing the challenging racing lifestyle but Drayden was determined to have a career riding racehorses.
6. VanDyke has some top jockeys in his corner. Hall of Famers Gary Stevens and Mike Smith have both decided to help him out. Stevens and Smith share riding tips and race-specific advice with VanDyke, and he’ll spend his first summer at Del Mar with Smith as his roommate.
7. By all accounts, Drayden VanDyke is a genuinely nice guy. He’s a hard worker who’s always looking to learn what he can from anyone who’s been in the business a while. His mentors Proctor, Smith and Stevens are all quick to compliment him, and the industry consensus so far seems to be that VanDyke is truly a nice person.
VANDYKE AND TRAINER TOM PROCTOR
Photo by Benoit Photo
8. VanDyke has accomplished all this and he’s only 19 years old! That’s right, 19. While other kids are lounging around by the pool this summer, VanDyke is blazing a trail as one of North America’s leading apprentice jockeys. Time will tell if his success will continue, but at this point VanDyke seems to be doing everything right.