KINGSTON, Jamaica – With the top two jockeys winless on the Mouttet Mile Race Day, the 2023 jockeys’ race seems to be done and dusted.
Reyan Lewis stays in the lead with 97 wins, 15 ahead of second-place Dane Dawkins who has 82 victories. With only seven race days left, it seems highly likely that Lewis will achieve his dream of becoming champion jockey.
Dawkins struggled during the Mouttet Mile Race Day, crossing the finish line first on Desert of Malibu but later being disqualified and placed fourth for interfering with other horses. Then, Dawkins fell from Atomica in the Mouttet Mile itself, to seal a disastrous day for the champion jockey.
Dawkins will need to harness all his skills to defend his title as the reigning champion - a feat that seems improbable but not impossible.
The day's success story among jockeys belonged to Tevin Foster, who won three races and brought his 2023 total up to 79 wins. This places him a mere three behind Dawkins and 18 short of Lewis.
Foster has a solid chance of finishing second, with an outside shot at taking the championship. However, with seven race days remaining, anything can happen in horse racing.
Another rising star on the track is Raddesh "The Sneaky Fox" Roman, who won two races on Mouttet Mile Race Day—Real Boss and Secret Admiral—propelling him into fourth place.
Roman surpassed former champion Anthony Thomas, now racing at Gulfstream Park in Florida.
The top ten jockeys in 2023 are listed below.
Leading Jockeys - Wins
77 Racedays - 735 Races up to 02/12/2023 inclusive
Name | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Mounts | Win% | Top3% | Stakes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | LEWIS, REYAN | 97 | 74 | 59 | 373 | 26% | 62% | $75,909,795 |
2 | DAWKINS, DANE | 82 | 78 | 62 | 417 | 20% | 53% | $73,246,825 |
3 | FOSTER, TEVIN R | 79 | 72 | 61 | 411 | 19% | 52% | $62,844,150 |
4 | ROMAN, RADDESH | 41 | 32 | 28 | 233 | 18% | 43% | $35,085,125 |
5 | THOMAS, ANTHONY | 40 | 31 | 31 | 208 | 19% | 49% | $28,690,880 |
6 | PATTERSON, JAVANIEL R | 34 | 29 | 28 | 270 | 13% | 34% | $27,987,725 |
7 | PARCHMENT, PHILLIP N | 29 | 20 | 23 | 205 | 14% | 35% | $24,413,550 |
8 | FRANCIS, PAUL A | 24 | 17 | 16 | 168 | 14% | 34% | $19,494,825 |
9 | HEWITT, ROGER K | 23 | 46 | 35 | 364 | 6% | 29% | $23,304,875 |
10 | BENNETT, MATTHEW S | 22 | 17 | 22 | 192 | 11% | 32% | $15,446,350 |