Saratoga Spring native Jennifer Paragallo wins her first race at Saratoga Race Course as trainer following a horse racing path that started with selling the Daily Racing Form and newspapers.

Jennifer Paragallo’s career path in horse racing may be an atypical one, but the path has recently become a winning one.

Paragallo won her first race as a trainer at Saratoga Race Course on Friday when Dunedin Causeway took the lead inside the sixteenth pole before inching away to a three-quarter length margin in the maiden claiming race.

“A win anywhere, regardless of the track, is special,” she said with a hoarse and raspy voice from shouting with excitement. “Though, a win at Saratoga is special. This one is my biggest deal because it’s home. Being from Saratoga and growing up here, this means the world to me.”

Paragallo’s world in horse racing started as a child when she was selling the Daily Racing Form and other newspapers with her mother outside the track. During that time, she became familiar with jockeys and their agents, as well as trainers and other horsemen.

Entering her teenage years, Paragallo evolved into a dedicated fan of the sport, which part of it was reflected constantly watching the first Breeders’ Cup on her recorded VHS tape before it broke from overuse.

By the time Paragallo entered Saratoga Springs High School in the late 1980s, she had aspirations of going to the “big leagues” at Belmont Park and Aqueduct where she could gallop horses. However, she never realized that Saratoga was always the place to be.

“When I was a kid, I knew that Saratoga was big, but I couldn’t wait to leave,” she said. “I never knew this was the big leagues, and I’ve been to a lot of tracks all over the country –California, Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Indiana, New Jersey and Delaware. There is no place like Saratoga.”

Once Paragallo left Saratoga Springs in 1991, she started galloping horses for trainers that included Mike Daggett, Mike Sedlacek, and Terri Pompey. After galloping horses for a few years, Paragallo wanted to follow her dream of becoming a jockey.

During the Oaklawn Park meet in 1994 while riding under her maiden name Jennifer Robinson, Paragallo had just five mounts during that meet with none of them finishing in the money.

Once the Oaklawn Park meet ended, Paragrallo migrated to Finger Lakes where she was getting closer to her first victory with three second-place finishes. With no Winner Circle appearance, she ended that year with a second-place and third-place finish at Aqueduct.

With more riding opportunities in 1995 at Atlantic City, Paragallo finally won her first race aboard Prize Writer in a claiming race. Just over a week later, she guided Delightful Marine to his first victory after 41 attempts as a maiden.

That was the last winner for Paragallo as she finished her jockey career at Hoosier Park on Oct. 15, 1995 due to limited opportunities and other challenges.

“I was bound and determined to be some great jockey,” she said. “I didn’t plan to quit. I was making a decent living, but I was fighting my weight. It was probably not in my cards to be a jockey because I wasn’t naturally light.”

Paragallo came back to New York as an exercise rider for a plethora of trainers that include Hall of Famers Bill Mott and Nick Zito for the next two decades. 

Paragallo eventually transitioned into an assistant trainer with her early opportunity coming from Bruce Brown in 2009. During her 4½ years with Brown, she took care of the 30 horses that he stabled at Saratoga once the Oklahoma Training Track opened in the spring.

During her time with Brown, Paragallo traveled to Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Spring with Spring to the Sky and Churchill Downs for Breeders’ Cup Mile with Compliance Officer. She also went to Woodbine for the graded stakes races with New York-bred Strong Impact and Night Officer.

“This was an important part of me,” Paragallo said. “Bruce is the easiest-going and simple kind of guy. He was one of the best bosses that I had. There is so much [public relations] at Saratoga. He liked how I handled that.”

Paragallo made the decision to become a trainer in late 2022. About three months since her first starter at Tampa Bay Downs, she won her first race with Redzilla on Mar. 4, and that followed with a victory from Mylastredcent and another win from Redzilla.

Now, she has just five horses at Barn 42 at Saratoga. Four of those horses are still looking for their first wins: Althena, Devil of Ramadi, Fire Baron, and Theregoesmymiracle.

Though, Paragallo wasn’t the only trainer who earned her first Saratoga win based at Barn 42. In fact, she gave up one of her stalls for Kathleen O’Connell, who also picked up her first Saratoga victory – and her 2,500th career win – with Thirty Thou Kelvin in Wednesday’s allowance race.

Paragallo likes the manageable stable size that is supported by just her exercise rider and roommate Makaia Carpenter, as well as and her assistant and groom Richie Suttle, who once had his lone stakes win with Dontletthebigonego in the Grade 3 Lafayette Stakes and his only Saratoga victory with Momsmercedes in a maiden race – both in 1998.

“We have a small team. We’re best friends,” Paragallo said. “My friends are my team. We’re working with horses every day – inside and out. We get up 4:30 in the morning and stay until noon. It doesn’t matter if it is hot out, cold out, or raining. We enjoy this small stable.”

 Even with the support of her team, Paragallo knows that being a trainer is still a lifelong learning experience, especially since that has been reinforced by the late Hall of Fame trainer H. Allen Jerkens and his former assistant Chuck Simon, also a Saratoga Springs native.

“I’m still on a learning curve,” Paragallo said. “Jerkens trained horses for more than 50 years. He said you never stop learning. Even Chuck said that you never stop learning.”

“I am a little thick-headed,” she added. “Sometimes, you don’t always see stuff when you are in the moment,” she added. “I might be overtraining. I might be overreading. I might be trying too hard sometimes. When you are trying to force something, you cannot make it happen. I understanding these things. No one teaches you these things.”

While Paragallo never had intention of training horses, she has embraced this part of her career path, but she had never forgotten about being a fan of horse racing, especially at Saratoga.

“They say, ‘Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.’ I’m living my dream. I don’t want to miss a moment with my horses. Coming to Saratoga, I am still a fan. This is where I fell in love with the sport.”

Reacting to a harsh and definite weather forecast, the New York Racing Association opted for flexibility and common-sense last weekend.  In doing so it managed to salvage two important grass races for the benefit of the fans.  This innovative flexibility acknowledged the devastating impact multiple horse scratches due to changing track surfaces can have on a race card.  Both the ugly raving in such events and the associated drop in mutuel handle need to be avoided and it is hoped this type of flexibility will be employed liberally going forward. last weekend.  While there was some grumbling by the horizontal bet players (who tend to complain far more than most about most things) this was a practical decision which benefitted the sport and its fans.

Even though the two races in question – The Fourstardave Handicap and the awfully-named Saratoga Derby, had already been pushed back a week due to wet grass conditions, the New York Racing Association employed the maxim “better late than never” and pushed both races back another 24 hours in order to allow both fields to run on a safe grass course.  The result was two quality competitive grass races that benefitted the on-track crowd who opted to stay for the late Sunday post times and the racing fans viewing off track. While this was a win for the sport in general, it was a particular win for West Point Thoroughbreds who again sprung a Saratoga grass stakes upset when Carson’s Run ran down the favored Legend of Time inside the final furlong to win going away. Owned in partnership with Steven Bouchey, Carson’s Run was purchased for the reasonable sum of $170,000 at auction. He is targeting the lucrative Nashville Derby next at Kentucky Downs with the longer-term chance of travelling down under to Australia for the large purse offered in the Cox Plate in late October.

Westpoint Thoroughbreds’ win in Saratoga Derby continued a huge meet for the high-end partnership stable. The continued success of West Point Thoroughbreds for decades, in the difficult business of purchasing and running horses is remarkable given the vicissitudes of racing. Their presence in graded stakes races has continued to expand in recent years and they have a nationwide presence. On the same day their Carson’s Run eclipsed the Grade I Saratoga Derby they ran second in the reconstituted Arlington Million, (now run at Colonial Downs), in Virginia with their colt Integration. Looking towards the future, earlier in the day on the Sunday Saratoga card they unveiled a sharp maiden winner – Sandman – who as a high-priced son of top sire Tapit only figures to get better as the races get longer.  

The win by Carson’s Run represented hot-riding jockey Dylan Davis’s first Grade I win at his home track of Saratoga. He is having a tremendous meet and is consistently making the right choice in both dirt and turf races. He is riding with confidence and has become a “go to” rider for a number of stables.  Earlier on the card Davis won the listed Mahony Stakes aboard Fandom with a persistent ride on the front end.

The aforementioned Fourstardave Handicap was won by Carl Spackler who benefited from a perfect trip under rider Tyler Gaffalione (riding for his father-in-law) to give trainer Chad Brown his first win in the event.   

For more than a decade, attorneys Wesley Lawrence and Elizabeth Kruska have entertained horse racing fans and others in the industry with a parody Twitter account based on the late Saratoga infield goose, which has also gotten them involved as owners and aftercare.

There are many social media parody accounts that personalize dogs, cats, and even horses.

However, there is one Twitter account that has been migrating around the horse racing community for more than a decade: the Spa Infield Goose.

The parody account, which now has over 7,000 followers, was created by Vermont attorneys Wesley Lawrence and Elizabeth Kruska 12 years ago when they were at Saratoga Race Course.

While watching the Olympics in between races from their clubhouse seats, both of them were captivated by an unusual goose, named “Lippy” for having part of a missing beak, meandering around the infield and the pond that is the host for the Travers canoe.

That’s when they had some ideas flying through their mind.

“We thought this goose has seen a lot of things,” Lawrence said. “It would be funny if [we had something] from the perspective of the goose with the ongoings of the track.”

It was an opportunity since also animal-related accounts emerged during that time: The Bronx Zoo Cobra, Rafalca Romney (the dressage horse for U.S. Senator Mitt Romney), Gator Kitten, and Juba (the Gray) who raced at Saratoga.

“It was the peak of animal parody accounts at the time,” Kruska said. “At first, we didn’t know what to expect. We sometimes do joke that many people talk to a goose. At the same time, we work at it. It’s fun, and it’s a lot of observational stuff. You have to keep it up.”

Not only does the Spa Infield Goose account continue to attract followers, it has also brought Lawrence and Kruska further into the sport as fans, owners, and even aftercare.

“It is surprising on the connections that we have made and people who we have met by virtue of it,” Lawrence said. “It has helped us professionally and being observant and analytical to the details by walking around here.”

Prior to handling the parody Twitter account, Lawrence and Kruska had some interest and background as horse racing fans.

Growing up in New Jersey and central Long Island, Lawrence came from a family who enjoyed horse racing that included his father, who often attended the Kentucky Derby while attending the University of Louisville, as well as his grandparents who started bringing Lawrence to Monmouth Park when he was seven years old.

By 18, Lawrence occasionally went to the Meadowlands while attending the University of Delaware before going to Vermont Law School where he later met Kruska.

Both of them started going to the racetrack together in 2008 for races that included Big Brown’s Triple Crown campaign, then that followed with Rachel Alexandra’s 3-year-old season with the Preakness and Woodward Stakes.

During the first couple of years as the Spa Infield Goose on Twitter, Lawrence and Kruska interacted with many horse racing fans, as well as those in the industry. By 2015, that interaction guided them into becoming an owner of the Thoroughbred horses through Zilla Racing Stables based in Guilderland.

Their first horse, Benevolence, graduated from the maiden ranks at Saratoga in July 2016, then the New York-bred gelding was claimed nearly two years later. From there, Lawrence and Kruska bought into more horses that included their favorite horse English Soul.

Starting her career with a second-place finish at Saratoga near the end of August 2017, then following that a victory in the East View Stakes, English Soul came back to Saratoga a year later to beat Take Charge Aubrey by a nose in the Fleet Indian Stakes.

At the Keeneland Breeding Stock Sales in November 2019, Calumet Farm bought English Soul for $170,000 and raced just four more times before starting a career as a broodmare.

However, after unsuccessful attempts at breeding and little interest in racing, English Soul’s future was a little uncertain. That was until Lawrence and Kruska visited Calumet Farm during the Kentucky Derby weekend in 2021.

“They raced her and they were going to breed her,” Lawrence said. “She couldn’t be bred and didn’t want to race anymore. When we visited her, they knew the connection and asked if we wanted her. So, then decided to take back the mare.”

The thought of Thoroughbred aftercare was not a new concept for both Lawrence and Kruska. Along with their interactions through Twitter, they became familiar in aftercare after visiting an information table while attending the Mass Cap at Suffolk Downs in 2008 – the last edition of the race which was won by Commentator, who has been long retired at Old Friends at Cabin Creek in Greenfield Center.

Lawrence and Kruska still had a challenge: finding a home where English Soul could have a new life as a possible riding horse. Though, they learned the New York-bred mare had physical limitations after her examination at Tufts University.

“It became apparent that there was something physically wrong with her,” Kruska said. “It was pretty clear that it wasn’t going to work in retraining her. So, we moved her to another farm.”

Today, English Soul is living on a family farm in Hartford, Vt. with another retired Thoroughbred: At the Bell, who once raced against Funny Cide as a two-year-old maiden. Kruska said both horses have the life as “beautiful lawnmowers.”

However, English Soul is not the only horse who they have admired. Out of Trouble, one of the early daughters of Into Mischief, was also part of their partnership with Zilla Racing.

After winning six races, including two here at Saratoga, the mare was retired and sent to Wynnstay Farm in Winchester, Ky. where she was bred to Volatile, winner of the 2020 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap. That combination produced Haleakala, who finished third in her debut at Ellis Park on Saturday.

While those horses continue to have a post-racing life, Lawrence and Kruska continue to be part of the Zilla Racing partnership with their recent winner at Saratoga: Tongue Twister.

Unlike many geese who will start migrating to the south after the Saratoga meet comes to an end, Lawrence and Kruska plan to stay in the region with their primary home in Woodstock, Vt.

However, after purchasing a Saratoga Springs “nest” in earlier this year, they plan to make a longer stay in the area, especially on the weekends.

“This is a very nice town,” Kruska said. “Obviously, we are here for the racing. However, I expect to be here quite a lot over the rest of the year. There is a lot going around here.”

With the support of jockey Shaun Bridgmohan, trainer Melanie Giddings wins her first Saratoga race as both continue to build a partnership that also expands into breeding.

It has been just a little over 18 months since Melanie Giddings became a trainer after working for Jeremiah Englehart for six years.

During her time as a trainer, Giddings has also been an owner and breeder. Though, one of those people who has played a part in her transition through these roles is veteran jockey Shaun Bridgmohan.

Now, that transition has brought them to the Saratoga Race Course Winner’s Circle.

Giddings and Bridgmohan won Saratoga’s last race with Scaramanga on July 28. This was the first Saratoga victory for Giddings not only as a trainer, but also an owner with a half-interest with Transfiguration Stable, LLC.

“I am super grateful that I got it,” Giddings said. “It doesn’t matter who you are, you always want to come out with a win. At the end of the day, you have others and you have to move on. As exciting as it was for me, and I got to own half of it with a partner, I want my other owners to experience the same thing.”

Giddings is also grateful that Bridgmohan has been with her since the start of her stable. Along with riding horses for the morning workouts and races during the afternoons, he is also assisting and supporting her in other areas of the business.

“He was the one who encouraged me to go out on my own,” Giddings said. “He’s with my stable everywhere we go. As we grew, I think he enjoys being here. He really loves the horses. I think he has learned a lot by staying back here and helping. He’s very good at what he does, and I try to do what I can at this end, and we try to work together.”

Like many starting trainers, Giddings had few horses in Florida where she raced them at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs last year. As Giddings came back to New York, other owners gave her horses, including Bill Parcells with Maple Leaf Mel.

As Giddings started winning races while some of her horses were finishing in the money, she took those earnings to reinvest into her stable.

“I have put a lot of my own money out there in the claiming game,” she said. “When we started winning a couple of races with our own claiming horses, we used that money to buy some two-year-olds.”

This year, her stable continues to expand with 31 horses, including 20 2-year-olds that enjoys training.

“This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Giddings said about working with her 2-year-olds “I feel like you can decide their future to some degree. We can take our time. It’s nice to have owners who are patient. The owners of these 2-year-olds understand that. It’s a proud moment when they do run good.”

For Bridgmohan, this was his first Saratoga win since 2019 when he was aboard Break Even in the Coronation Cup Stakes. Though, this recent Saratoga victory may be just as significant as the first two career winners for Giddings at Presque Isle Downs.

“Being in the winner’s circle never gets old. It can be addicting,” he said. “The more you win, the more you want. This was pretty special because I rode first couple of winners at Presque Isle.”

Besides assisting Giddings around the stable and track, Bridgmohan has also been helping her with purchasing and breeding horses. 

In March 2023, both of them bought two mares at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales in March 2023; one of those purchases was Devil at Midnight for $7,000.

Over 11 races that started at Belmont Park in June 2023, Devil at Midnight had a win, two second-place finishes, and three third-place finishes and $52,600. After a fourth-place finish for a $25,000 claiming tag at Presque Isle Downs in May, Giddings retired the filly, who is now at Rockridge Farm in Hudson.

“She has done well for me. She was already right there,” Giddings said. “I always said she never wanted to be a racehorse, at least mentally. I couldn’t see her go down the road of claims. So, I retired her and I plan to breed her.”

However, Devil at Midnight is not the only mare they have at Rockridge Farm. Giddings and Bridgmohan also had Diva’s Delight there for a couple of years, and it has been rewarding. 

A few years ago, Bridgmohan privately bought the mare Diva’s Delight after a brief racing career in Louisiana. He bred her to Alternation and they produced Devious Delight just before the pandemic in March 2020.

Devious Delight had just one career race – a second place finish to eventual stakes winner Devious Dame. That’s when Bridgmohan and Giddings decided to breed Diva’s Delight to Grade 1 winner Leofric as that combination produced the filly Canigetaloan.

After finishing second in her debut last year at Saratoga, Canigetaloan went to Finger Lakes a month later to win the Aspirant Stakes. While the win is rewarding, Bridgmohan knows the investment that goes well beyond the financial aspect.

“We have put a lot of time and effort in this,” Bridgmohan said. “It is time consuming, and it can be an expensive venture, but if you can get a nice one that can repay you, it’s rewarding.”

While Giddings and Bridgmohan have embraced those rewarding moments, they have also experienced that challenges that includes last year’s tragedy with Maple Leaf Mel in the Test Stakes. However, Giddings tries to look past those moments with a positive mind frame, especially for her dedicated staff.

“It has been really hard,” she said. “As a trainer, you’re always wanting to have that quality horse. In the back of your mind, it’s always there. This place will always remind me of her.”

“Most people will say that I am positive, even if things aren’t going well,” she added. “I just think it’s hard to dwell on the bad things when there are so many other things that we can be grateful for. No matter how bad, it can always be worse.”

With the second half of the Saratoga meet that started on Thursday, Giddings had Route Sensation entered in a maiden race, followed by Your Man Alex in Friday’s allowance race.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 2024 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course is underway and will continue through Monday, Sept. 2. Racing will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, apart from the final week, when the meet will conclude on Labor Day. Admission gates will open for live racing at 11 a.m. First post time is 1:10 p.m. 

week FIVE stake races

*Mondays and Tuesdays = Dark Days. No racing.

Friday, August 9 

Evan Shipman Handicap (NYB):
3&UP, 1 Mile – Dirt, Purse $125,000

Union Avenue Handicap (NYB):
F&M 3&UP, 6 Furlongs – Dirt, Purse $125,000

Saturday, August 10

GI FanDuel Fourstardave Handicap (BC): 3&UP, 1 Mile – Turf, Purse $500,000

GII Saratoga Special: 2YO, 6 1/2 Furlongs – Dirt, Purse $200,000
GII Troy: 4&UP, 5 1/2 Furlongs – Turf, Purse $300,000
GI Saratoga Derby Invitational: 3YO, 1 3/16 – Turf, Purse $600,000

Galway: F3YO, 5 1/2 Furlongs – Turf, Purse $150,000

Sunday, August 11

Mahony: 3YO, 5 1/2 Furlongs – Turf, Purse $150,000

Wednesday, August 14

GI Jonathan Sheppard: 4&UP, 2 3/8 – Turf, Purse $150,000

Suzie O’Cain (NYB): F3YO, 1 1/16 – Turf, Purse $125,000

Thursday, August 15

Rick Violette (NYB): 3YO, 1 1/16 – Turf, Purse $125,000

purdy’s summer concert stage
The Purdy’s Summer Concert Stage will host live musical performances each afternoon of the season from popular local and regional bands.
Friday, August 9: The Swingin’ Palms
Saturday, August 10: IMI
Sunday, August 11: Twangbusters
Wednesday, August 14: Franklin Micare Band
Thursday, August 15: American Cafe

TASTE NY PAVILION:

Every Thursday-Sunday
beginning July 11

New York-made food and beverages will be available for sample and purchase at the Taste NY Pavilion, located inside Gate A at the Top of the Stretch, where fans can enjoy New York craft beers, wines, spirits, cheese and chocolate (must be 21 and over to sample and purchase alcoholic beverages). Featured products hail from Montauk to the Finger Lakes and the Hudson Valley to the Adirondacks as a showcase of the state’s robust food and beverage industry.

SARATOGA BREAKFAST AND BREEDING FARM TOUR:

Every Wednesday-Saturday and select Sundays,
beginning July 12

The popular Saratoga Breakfast and Breeding Farm tours, which were first introduced in 2022, will be expanded this summer to meet growing demand. The program will be offered Wednesday through Saturday (excludes July 13, Aug. 24), plus select Sundays, beginning Friday, July 12 through Saturday, August 31. This yearwill feature newcomer Sugar Plum Farm to supplement incumbents Song Hill Thoroughbreds and Old Tavern Farm.
Fans will enjoy a buffet breakfast during morning training at Saratoga Race Course before boarding a CDTA trolley to that day’s breeding farm before returning to the Spa for the afternoon’s races.
Tickets must be reserved in advance at NYRA.com. Each tour accommodates up to 52 guests. Admission to Saratoga Race Course is included in the package.

Adirondack Day

wednesday, august 14

Presented by the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council, the afternoon will include interactive exhibits highlighting the seven New York counties that comprise the Adirondack region, including beverages, cheese samples, apples, reenactors, live music and more as the attractions of the Adirondacks fill the Taste NY Pavilion.

Stewart’s Shops Day at the Races

wednesday, august 14

Stewart’s Shops will celebrate its longstanding partnership with Saratoga by providing free ice cream for fans in the backyard! Complimentary scoops will be available while supplies last.

Fans can also purchase NYRA Bets gift cards and Saratoga season passes at over 100 participating Stewart’s Shops locations.

Thoroughbred Aftercare Day

thursday, august 15

Thoroughbred Aftercare Day pays tribute to an array of organizations involved in finding new homes and careers for retired racehorses. The featured race will be the Rick Violette Stakes, named for the late NYTHA President who was a founding member of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA).

Family Sundaysevery sundayFamily Sundays feature a wide variety of free family-friendly activities, games, attractions and educational activities each Sunday inside the backyard Family Zone, located near Gate A.

With the support of trainers and his father, Saratoga Springs native Dylan Davis looks to exceed his personal best at Saratoga Race Course this year.

Like most jockeys, Dylan Davis has to work hard, get the right support to be competitive, and remain confident in his riding, especially at Saratoga Race Course.

Right now, that seems to be working for him.

Within the first 14 days of the Saratoga Race Course meet, Davis has a good start as a sixth-leading jockey with 11 winners and 13 others finishing either second or third.

That’s a sharp contrast to when Davis had just two winners in 2020 within that same time fame. However, those numbers improved with five wins in 2021, six wins in 2022, and nine winners last year – all within the same time span.

“It has been great,” Davis said. “I try to go in with a lot of confidence. The outcome, getting the winners early, has exceeded my expectations.”

Davis is also close to exceeding his expectations of total winners for the Saratoga meet after finishing with 17 in 2002, 18 in 2021, 15 in 2023, and 19 last year, which has been his personal best.

“I set a personal goal. I was trying to get to 19 [winners],” the 2011 Saratoga Springs High School graduate said. “I try to beat my personal best. I haven’t been focusing on what the other riders are doing. I am focusing on me. We aren’t halfway through the meet. Everything is going well. I’ve got guys behind me and support me.”

It didn’t take Davis that long to get his first winner of the meet. For his second mount on Opening Day, he guided first-time starter Punch the Clock to a front-running victory for trainer Raymond Handal. That followed with riding longshot The Queens M G to victory in the Schuylerville Stakes.

“It is incredible,” he said. “Saratoga-native and any win is special here, but to win the feature of the day is great.”

Just over a week later, Davis had a four-win day that included another Handal-trainee Union Dolly and two for trainer Mark Casse with Full Screen in an allowance and Pounce in the Grade 3 Lake George Stakes.

Even during the dark days of the Saratoga’s first week, Davis picked up another win by going to Finger Lakes where he helped Pandagate, trained by Clement, outfinish Doc Sullivan in the New York Derby.

“I try to stay available,” Davis said. “Going to Finger Lakes for guys who are [trying to get] a good shot are the guys who ride me since I am based in New York. They give me opportunities.”

Over his 13-year career, which included his first winner at Suffolk Downs in September 2012, Davis has slowly moved up the standings as one of the top 10 jockeys on the New York circuit while riding his fair share of stakes winners. He eventually took the New York riding title in 2022 with 186 winners.

Though, a lot of that success could not happen without support of numerous trainers, which includes Clement.

In Fall 2020, Clement had Davis ride Mutamakina in the Long Island Handicap in which they won. For the following year, Davis guided Mutamakina to victory in the E. P. Taylor Stakes and the Dance Smartly Stakes at Woodbine.

Last year, Clement gave Davis another opportunity with Carson’s Run, who won his career debut that followed with a close second-place finish in the With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga. A month later, Davis and Carson’s Run won the bet365 Summer Stakes at Woodbine that earned both a trip to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Davis and Carson’s Run reunite again for the Saratoga Derby Invitational as part of Saturday’s Whitney undercard.

Because of Carson’s Run, Mutamakina and several other horses, Clement had confidence in putting Davis on Pandagate for the UAE Derby at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai as they finished third to Japan’s talented 3-year-old Forever Young.

“Clement has had a big impact on my career as of late,” Davis said. “If he wants me to go somewhere, I am available. He knows that. It’s not like I am going to say ‘no’ to him.”

Another person who has helped him is his father and retired jockey Robbie Davis. As a teenager, Dylan Davis wanted to be an aspiring motocross racer, not a jockey. With his father’s encouragement, Davis got on horse and enjoyed riding it around the paddock.

“With my father on my side, coach, mentor, everything, I knew he was someone who was going to give me true advice,” he said. “I knew he has been 100 percent on my side. That has been great to have as a top rider in New York. He has helped me to be professional – both on and off the track – and always think that the camera is on you all of the time. Then, you will never do anything wrong.”

Just like with the other riders, Davis knows it’s difficult to compete at Saratoga – both on and off the track. Along with the challenge of getting horses to ride, there is also the difficult task of making the right decisions on the track.

“It’s tough,” he said. “The other day, there were 34 riders in the room. Many of them had just 1 or 2 mounts. I was riding seven. It’s a matter of staying focused out there. I’ve been riding for almost 12 years. It’s trial and error through the years.”

“When I have been riding up here, every decision that I have been making has been working out,” he added. “Obviously, you need the horse to get the job done. Whether it is waiting, moving early, staying inside longer, or moving out early and getting the jump, all of those decisions has been all on cue.”