This after riding his 200th winner
KINGSTON, Jamaica - Dane Dawkins has joined a long list of jockeys to ride 200 winners at Caymanas Park, a fact he is well aware of.
But, the 28-year-old is nowhere close to finishing and has declared his intentions of surpassing the 300-marker this year.
Dawkins, who recently returned to the saddle from an injury, is currently enjoying a sweet run of form, having notched seven winners so far this season, including a dazzling four-timer on Saturday, January 15, which propelled him to the 200-win milestone.
He won the third event aboard Atomica for trainer Gary Subratie, the sixth on Everald Francis’s Mister A and the seventh aboard the Ian Parsard-conditioned Jordan Reign’s, before closing the four-star performance with the speedy Patriarch for Fitzgerald Richards in the feature contest, the St Catherine Cup.
Dawkins was in fact denied a six-timer, having also placed second on Nomoredeals and Bridal Blush in two driving finishes in the first and last events as well.
“It is a fantastic feeling starting the year in such good form. I have been working hard over the years and ahead of my return and I believe all that hard work is now paying off,” said Dawkins.
“It wasn’t my first, but it’s always a great feeling winning four races in one day and I knew that the 200 wins would come one if I remained committed to the craft. I am grateful to God that I was able to reach it and I am still in good health to win even more races,” he told this publication.
The soft-spoken jockey, who started his riding career in 2015, is currently atop the standings jointly with Robert Halledeen, and is brimming with confidence that he is now measuring rides in quality instead of quantity.
It is on that basis that he believes he has what it takes to challenge for the top riding honours, all things remaining equal.
“Yeah, that is also another positive that I feel great about. They [the trainers] know I’m a hard-working jockey and they can trust me to get the job done, and so far the rides I have had prove that,” Dawkins noted.
He continued: “So, yes, I can say I will be challenging for the jockeys’ title. It is no secret that is a big ambition of mine and I will be giving it my best shot this year.
“I am just hoping that the good rides that I am currently getting will continue to come. But, outside of that, I am just going to do my best as always to keep fit and focus on the task ahead.”
Though he has never been seen as threatening when it comes down to the business end of the championship, Dawkins admits that he has never really placed much focus on it — until now.
He stressed that his positive start so far this year demonstrates his level of commitment to mounting a pretty effective challenge.
“Ultimately, if you want something, then it will always be there as a target for you to achieve. I’ve still got the hunger to push myself to achieve new goals and that, for me, is to win the championship and also see if I can reach 300 winners this year,” Dawkins ended.
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I've admired this young rider over the last season since his return from Canada and he seems destined for big things. Keep fit and focus Dane and many victories you will offer us punters this year and beyond.
He has improved a lot.