KINGSTON, Jamaica – Heading into the race weekend of Saturday, September 9, and Sunday, September 10, 2023, leading jockey Reyan Lewis had 77 wins under his belt. His closest competitor, reigning champion Dane Dawkins, held the second position with 59 victories. With an 18-win advantage, Lewis is aiming for his first championship title.
As Lewis' lead seemed substantial, it appeared the race outcome was almost certain. However, the two days of racing proved otherwise. On Saturday, Dawkins triumphed in two races; Slammer for trainer Richard Azan and Bootyliciousfor Peter-John Parsard. As Lewis failed to secure any wins that day, Dawkins narrowed the gap to 16 victories.
Sunday saw Dawkins in peak form as he clinched four more wins: Cookie Night N Day for trainer Marlon Pusey, Norblar for Gresford Smith, Unruly Dude for Oral Hayden, and Airstream for Robert Pearson. Once again, Lewis went winless.
Dawkins' six-win weekend surge effectively reduced Lewis' lead to 12, marking a substantial shift in momentum. With only three and a half months remaining in the 2023 racing year, it's evident that the jockey championship is far from being decided.
In this thrilling competition, it's still too early to declare a winner just yet.
For certain, it is not time for any singing by the Fat Lady.
