G1 Juvenile Double Nets Van Dyke Jockey Of The Week Title
Owner Jane Lyon, left, has a moment with jockey Drayden Van Dyke, right, after Chasing Yesterday's victory in the Grade I, $300,000 Starlet, Saturday, December 8, 2018 at Los Alamitos
With wins in the Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity and the Starlet Stakes, Drayden Van Dyke was voted Jockeys’ Guild Foundation Detox Jockey of the Week for December 3 - 9, 2018. The award is voted on by a panel of experts for riding accomplishments by members of the Jockeys’ Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 riders in North America. Jockey of the Week is sponsored by FoundationDetox.com, America’s #1 Equine Toxin Remover.
Van Dyke had just two mounts on the Saturday card at Los Alamitos, but they were in the two biggest races of the week: the $300,000 Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity (G1) and the $300,000 Starlet Stakes (G1).
In the Cash Call, Van Dyke brought trainer Bob Baffert his fifth consecutive win in the race with Improbable ($2.40), who sat off the pace early before pulling away to a five-length win.
Recommended for You
Improbable is now undefeated in three career starts; this was his first graded stakes win.
Van Dyke returned two races later to win the Starlet with Chasing Yesterday ($5.00). The pair closed from the back of the pack to narrowly edge out Enaya Alrabb, the second longest price on the board. The half-sister to American Pharoah, Chasing Yesterday earned her first Grade 1 victory. Her only loss in five starts was a seventh-place finish in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga in September.
With the graded stakes wins, Van Dyke was the leading rider by stakes earnings, with $360,000. He was the second leading rider by total earnings, adding $392,145 to his 2018 total of $10,897,533. He has earnings in excess of $31 million to date in his riding career. Van Dyke doubled his Grade 1 wins for the year with the two victories on Saturday.
Van Dyke finished in the money on 80% of his five starts last week and maintained a win rate of 60%, with three wins. He has won 147 of his 648 starts this year and is 540 for 3,418 lifetime.
