Statistically, it was not a triumphant return to his old Kentucky home. Wins came at roughly a 10 percent rate for just over 100 mounts with the highlight being a victory in the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway aboard Like The King and a subsequent 12^th-place finish on the same horse in his first Kentucky Derby opportunity.

“I did miss California a lot,” Van Dyke admitted here Tuesday morning. “There's no place like it.”

California riding exploits earned Van Dyke an Eclipse Award as the top apprentice of 2014. And he had career year at Del Mar in 2018 when he won both the summer and fall titles at the seaside track north of San Diego, and, during the summer stand, won 11 stakes races – one third of his current seaside track total.

But, as Van Dyke pointed out in interviews shortly before leaving Kentucky, he has no regrets about the temporary self-transplant and expects it to have long-term benefits.

“I enjoyed my experience in Kentucky, it was a good learning experience and now it's onwards and upwards,” Van Dyke said.

“A change can be good for anybody.”

Van Dyke was represented by Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens during part of his time in the Midwest. But with Stevens back at Saratoga, N.Y., working as an expert commentator on New York Racing Association and other broadcasts, Van Dyke's book is being handled by Brandon O'Bryan, a third-generation jockey agent. Brandon's grandfather George, a legend in the business who represented five Hall of Famers at one time or another in a lengthy career, passed away in February at the age of 100. Brandon's father, Craig, came out of semi-retirement last year to work with Juan Hernandez on a highly successful transition from the Northern to Southern California circuit.

“I can't wait to get to work with Brandon and see what we can do,” Van Dyke said. “I'm excited to be back at Del Mar, excited that there's going to be fans around again. It's like old times. I'm in a really good state of mind and I want to build my business back up and get into a winning mode.”

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The 23-year-old Denver native won the second race on Rakasasah, the third on Joe Don Looney, the seventh aboard Lofty and the ninth on Sweet Devil.

The step-daughter of leading trainer Phil D'Amato, Pyfer has 31 victories, good for sixth in Santa Anita's jockey standings.

“We're excited, but we never thought it could be a record for apprentices,” said her agent, Brandon O'Bryan.

“We were happy with winning four,” added O'Bryan, a third-generation agent, following in the footsteps of his late grandfather, George, and his father, Craig, who represents Juan Hernandez.

“It always helps to have the support of the leading trainer in your corner,” Brandon said, “but Jessica is well-liked and very talented. I think her best trait is getting horses out of the gate.”

And getting them to the wire first, too.

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In behind a wall of four horses with a sixteenth of a mile to run, Hernandez shifted outside and was able to prevail by three quarters of a length over 3-2 favorite Castle.  Off at 7-1, Bedrock paid $17.00 to win.

A perennial leader at Golden Gate Fields prior to shifting his tack full time to Santa Anita last June, Hernandez currently has 37 wins at the current Winter/Spring Meet, which places him second in the rider standings to Flavien Prat, who has 44.

“I want to also say 'thank you' to the owners and trainers, my agent up north and my agent here, Craig (O'Bryan) and a big thanks to my people (at) Golden Gate Fields,” said Hernandez.  “I think a lot of people (helped me).  First of all, my family here, my family in Mexico, all these winners are for them…”

Hernandez, who will turn 29 on March 7, has been represented by veteran agent Craig O'Bryan since his arrival in Southern California.

“Not only is he a top rider, he's a top guy,” said O'Bryan. “He fits any kind of horse, he's a great judge of pace, finishes very well and he's great with the people.  I knew he had done very well up north, but he's come down here and become a force.  He's a great family guy and his best days are in front of him, no question.”

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One of nine children, George Albert O'Bryan was born in Taylorville, Ill., and left home at age 16 for a career in racing, which included a brief stint as a jockey, riding for eventual Hall of Fame conditioners Ben Jones and his son, Jimmy, in the Midwest.

Athletic, hard working and tremendously knowledgeable, O'Bryan went from exercise boy to jockey to jockey agent, representing many jockeys, including five Hall of Fame riders, Johnny Adams, Ralph Neves, Manuel Ycaza, Laffit Pincay, Jr. and Donald Pierce, spanning parts of six decades from the 1940s into the 1990s.

When asked what his secret was for working with so many top jocks, O'Bryan jokingly responded, “You've got to keep getting fired!”

In a rough and tumble business that has always required sharp elbows, none were ever any sharper than O'Bryan's, who was known as an agent who could and would move lesser riders off any horse that he knew his rider would fit.

George O'Bryan (Benoit photo)

When asked years ago if he preferred to wait until the next morning to follow up with the trainer of a well-backed horse that got beat with anything resembling a questionable ride in an important race, O'Bryan responded with a twinkle in his eye:

“No, you go to the man right then, preferably with the owner right there.  If you see a muck-sack ride, you take advantage of it.”

Following his career as an agent, O'Bryan, along with his late wife Mercedes, was also an owner/breeder of note in California.  His biggest achievement in the breeding arena came with the Don B. mare, Don's Quillo, who was the dam of Megan's Interco, an earner of $1,062,000.

An avid golfer until about 10 years ago, O'Bryan and his wife were regular race day attendees at Santa Anita long after his retirement as an agent and he and his wife relished reminiscing with the many racing figures they had known throughout his career at Santa Anita's annual George Woolf Memorial Award functions.

George O'Bryan was predeceased by his wife Mercedes (2016) and is survived by his son Craig, who is currently representing Santa Anita's leading rider Juan Hernandez, daughter Shannon, grandsons Brandon (agent for apprentice Jessica Pyfer) and Kyle, as well as three great grandchildren.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there are no services planned at this time.

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While Prat has been fulfilling stakes engagements at Keeneland during this holiday weekend, Hernandez closed the gap. Prat's record reads 16-17-9 from 56 mounts, a 29 percent winning clip, while Hernandez has a 14-3-5 mark from 55 mounts, 25 percent.

The success of the 28-year-old native of Veracruz, Mexico, who was a force in the Bay Area before coming to Southern California under the astute guidance of veteran agent Craig O'Bryan, may have caught some observers by surprise, but not O'Bryan.

“He was the runaway leader at Golden Gate last year winning at 32 percent,” O'Bryan said. “His time has come. He knew he was ready.

“I think you'll see him more and more confident the longer he stays. I'm not surprised at his success here, but I was surprised that I got him; (Northern California-based trainer) Blaine Wright kind of put it all together, so that part was great, but Juan is a good rider, very smooth and a really nice guy, too, a good family man with two kids.”

Humility aside, winning races on a major circuit requires equal amounts of desire and diligence from both jockey and agent. Juan and Craig have those attributes in abundance.

Among the jockeys O'Bryan has represented are three Hall of Fame members: Eddie Delahoussaye, Alex Solis and Gary Stevens.

“Juan is definitely holding up his end of the bargain; he's a very good jockey,” said Craig, whose father George was a top agent and whose 33-year-old son, Brandon, represents apprentice Jessica Pyfer, winner of her first race Friday on only her sixth mount.

Craig has been plying his trade as an agent for 49 years and George, bless his soul, “will be 100 late this month,” Craig said. “Brandon got off to a good start. You never want to go too long without getting your first win.”

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Hernandez, 28, will be joining forces with longtime agent Craig O'Bryan, who has been idle since Tyler Baze opted for the Oaklawn/Kentucky circuit over a year ago.

“I got a call, asking if I'd be interested in representing Juan,” said O'Bryan. “I said, 'When can he get down here?' The phone is already ringing and I truly believe our business will continue to grow as people see, first-hand, just how good he is.”

How good is Juan Hernandez?

“I'm really excited to come and ride with that colony down there,” said Hernandez by phone from Northern California on Thursday. “My wife's family lives in Ontario, near Santa Anita, so our kids will be spending the summer with them. Craig came very highly recommended. I think it's a big plus to go with him because he's had many top riders and he knows everyone down there, he knows the business.”

A 28-year-old native of Veracruz, Mexico, Hernandez, who is married, Melissa, and has two boys aged five and two, had 1,882 wins from 8,726 career mounts through Sunday and with just Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Luis Saez in front of him, he is currently America's third winningest jockey in 2020, with more than 125 wins through this past weekend.

O'Bryan, who enjoyed an eight-year run with Baze, is a second generation agent, following in the footsteps of his legendary father George “Black Heart” O'Bryan.

With a past client list that reads like a Who's Who of Turfdom, Craig O'Bryan has represented Hall of Famers Eddie Delahoussaye (for an incredible eight-year run that included back to back Kentucky Derby victories with Gato del Sol in 1982 and Sunny's Halo in 1983), Alex Solis and Gary Stevens (2013 Breeders' Cup Classic with Mucho Macho Man and 2013 Distaff with Beholder), as well as David Flores, Corey Nakatani, Jose Valdivia, Jr., Aaron Gryder and Baze.

“I've been doing this for 48 years, since 1972,” said O'Bryan. “The main thing now, is that people need to know that Juan is coming here permanently, this isn't just for the summer. For me personally, it's a great opportunity and it's great to be back in action.”

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