Jockey Drayden Van Dyke, the 2014 Eclipse Award-winning apprentice, is making plans to move back to Southern California, reports the Daily Racing Form.
The 26-year-old rider shifted his tack to Kentucky in the spring of 2021, and was represented by retired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens while riding at Turfway Park, Keeneland and Churchill Downs. Van Dyke also earned his first mount in the Kentucky Derby aboard the Wesley Ward-trained Like The King, who finished 12th.
“Coming out here was a great learning experience and it's only going to make me better,” Van Dyke told DRF. “It wasn't a mistake coming here. It was really good for me. Riding with different riders out here, in a room that is loaded with talent, you learn stuff and you learn how to hustle.”
Van Dyke plans to finish out this weekend at Ellis Park before heading back to California for the start of the Del Mar meeting. Brandon O'Bryan will represent Van Dyke on the West Coast.
Read more at the Daily Racing Form.
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