Hewitson out to win VDJ 2020
SA champion jockey and Kearsney College old boy Lyle Hewitson is looking for a top place in the main race at this weekend’s Vodacom Durban July, considered to be the most prestigious events on the country’s racing calendar.
Hewitson will be riding the Sean Tarry-trained two-year-old Shango, a “smart horse” which he says could provide a surprise finish on the day.
Despite being only 22, this will be the fourth year that Hewitson is riding in the July. He has been booked to ride in all 10 races on Saturday.
The determined and respected jockey has had a meteoric rise through the ranks due to many years as a work rider, as well as coming from a family steeped in the racing industry.
“My dad Carl was a jockey and is currently a trainer and my mum Samantha was a competitive rider and keen polocrosse player, so I grew up with horses. In Grade 7 I had my heart set on becoming a jockey, but it was only in Grade 10 that it became reality,” he says.
After finishing matric at Kearsney College where he achieved five distinctions and played hockey and cricket for the school’s 1st teams, he was accepted at the Jockey Academy.
The two-time champion apprentice jockey, who also had 219 winners during his record breaking 2018-19 season, headed to Hong Kong and Japan last year to get some experience.
“It was a massive learning curve. Riding in Hong Kong was difficult and I battled to find my feet but my upbringing and the grounding I had at Kearsney helped me get through that tough time.”
He endured a 140-race drought before getting off the mark in Hong Kong, and was then able to turn the barren spell into a bountiful one in Japan, scoring on his first day of elite level racing there.
“Japan is a beautiful country; the food is great and the people are even better. The language barrier can be difficult but I managed to get around it,” he says.
Hewitson returned to South Africa in May, going into quarantine in Johannesburg, before being allowed back into the saddle six weeks ago. Since his return he’s resumed his successful relationship with champion trainer Sean Tarry and was quickly back into his stride, last month riding his first winner at his first meeting back in South Africa.
Due to Covid-19 regulations, Hewitson is riding solely in KwaZulu-Natal for July and August and will return to Johannesburg thereafter. All going well, he plans to ride in Japan next year for three months - February, March and August - but will remain based in South Africa.
