Dylan Gibbons has won more than 400 races in just under five years of race riding. He’s already visited the Gr 1 winner’s circle on two occasions and has thirteen other black type races on his CV. In fact, his very first Saturday metro win came in the Gr 3 Spring Stakes at Newcastle in November 2021. It’s unlikely that any of those highlights gave him a bigger kick than the one he got out of Saturday’s Randwick double for consistently good supporter Bjorn Baker. It’s been well documented that a left shoulder reconstruction kept Dylan away from racing for more than four months and the road back has been slow and tedious. He’d won five races since his return in March including a TAB Highway on Ballinderry Sal, but needed to do something a little more attention grabbing. Two winners and a second placing from four rides on Saturday was just what the Doctor ordered!
Dylan Gibbons is back with a bang after major shoulder surgery - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Saturday’s H9 track threw up some topsy turvy results and jockeys were desperately trying to find the best lanes right through the day. Dylan’s first outing resulted in a second on Victorian wet tracker Wuddzz in the 2400m BM78, but his following mount Zaphod was all at sea. The Lees trained gelding started favourite in the BM88 on the strength of previous good wet track form, but didn’t fire a shot on Saturday finishing 24 lengths from winner Glory Daze. Despite Zaphod’s indifferent showing Dylan remained upbeat about his two remaining rides for the Baker stable. Both Hollywood Hero and Miss Kim Kar were prominent in betting markets, and both had some soft track form.
The jockey had ridden Hollywood Hero on two previous occasions and actually won a Warwick Farm maiden on the horse two years ago. Bjorn Baker alerted Dylan to the fact that Hollywood Hero in more recent times had developed a few quirky habits, one of which is an aversion to being ridden out of his comfort zone. “Bjorn told me to leave him alone early no matter what the speed,” said Dylan. “From a good gate and with only half a kilo over the limit, this was the day to ride him cold. At the halfway mark I thought I’d overdone it when I was ten lengths or more from the leaders. I just let him move into the race by himself before making the decision to stay on the fence. The ground was heavier there, but I knew this horse was better off not being pulled around. He really put in from the 200m and scored a strong win from a pretty nice horse in Cool Jakey.”
Hollywood Hero was one of few horses to go anywhere near the inside rail in late races at Randwick - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Dylan’s final ride of the day came up in the last of ten races by which time he felt tempted to experiment with the unused ground on the extreme outside. His mount Miss Kim Kar was a well supported second favourite in the fillies and mares BM78, despite the extreme outside gate. The daughter of Pierata was clearly first out but Dylan had no intention of getting involved early. The field of ten had fallen into an unusual configuration by the time they reached the 600m with three rows of three. Miss Kim Kar was on the outside of the third tier with cover behind She’s Pretty Rich. Horses went in all directions coming up the rise - some shifted wider, others switched inside them. Dylan Gibbons wanted no part of the musical chairs. He made a beeline to the left until he was within two horses of the outside fence. “The others were diving all over the place. I just wanted to steady my course and get going. Funny thing, she got a little bit lost for a few strides when I got out there by myself, but quickly balanced up and started to motor. She was really focused the last 100m and was far too good for Flying Thinker. The win rounded off an important day for me.”
Miss Kim Kar all but scraped the outside fence in winning the final race at Randwick - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Dylan’s well documented shoulder injury came out of left field at a Port Macquarie meeting on October 11th of last year. He’d just gone onto the track on a maidener called Whatever It Takes when the gelding suddenly ducked his head and launched into a full blown bucking exhibition. “I felt something give way in my left shoulder the moment it happened, and I knew I wouldn’t be riding for the rest of the day,” said Dylan. “Ultrasound and X/rays the following morning revealed very little and I decided to keep riding for a while. The shoulder just felt like it was “catching” from time to time when in effect it was dislocating. I lasted right through to the Melbourne Cup day meeting at Randwick by which time I knew I was in trouble. CT and MRI scans detected enough damage to warrant a full reconstruction so we made the call to go ahead. I did everything the specialists recommended throughout my rehabilitation and made a point of not rushing back.”
It was two and a half months before Dylan was back at the races obviously hungry for an early win. His first four rides yielded a couple of second placings after which Bjorn Baker offered him two plum rides at the Wellington Cup Showcase meeting in the Central West. Both horses started favourite, and both finished officially fifth in their respective races - Don Pedro in the Wellington Cup won by Aimpoint and Invincible Phantom in the Wellington Boot won by Comongin.
Thanks to Warwick Farm trainers Paul and Martha Cave, Dylan picked up another ride destined to reboot his comeback. He rode four year old mare Devil’s Daughter for the Caves in a 1400m maiden, and his performance was the talk of the course. He went back from a wide draw which put him behind a wall of horses turning for home. He probed for and found a narrow gap 100m out, and the race was over in a twinkling. Devil’s Daughter had put the Dylan Gibbons show back on the road. Subsequent wins followed on Sacro Catino at Warwick Farm for David Payne, Ballinderry Sal in a Randwick TAB Highway for Rod Northam, El Paso for Team Hawkes at Newcastle and Thunderlips for the Baker stable on the Kensington track. Saturday’s double at Randwick put the icing on the cake and will attract the attention of discerning trainers.
Dylan with former master and great supporter Kris Lees after a win with Brudenell at Rosehill 17/06/2023 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
In an era of taller jockeys, Dylan Gibbons stands at 175 cm or 5’9” in the imperial measure. Despite his height the young jockey rarely needs to resort to the sauna. His weight remained stable during his recent time on the sidelines, although he admits to having exercised regularly on a peloton bike - a modern day stationary device which blends fitness and technology. “I was on the bike most days and to my amazement I actually got lighter during my rehabilitation,” he said. “The best part was the benefit to my legs. Jockeys coming back from injuries suffer most discomfort in the legs. Thanks to the peloton bike I was able to duck the worst of that problem.”
A strict trackwork regime obviously plays a major part in Dylan’s weight stability. “Most Mondays involve barrier trials, Tuesdays I go to Randwick or Rosehill alternately, Wednesdays to Warwick Farm for Bjorn Baker, Thursdays to Ciaron Maher’s Bong Bong farm and Fridays either to Peter Snowden at Randwick or Team Hawkes at Rosehill,” said Dylan. “It’s full on but I like to have a routine at all times and just get on with my job. Trainers know when to expect you.”
Until recent times Dylan and partner Nevada lived in a cosy apartment right on Mereweather Beach, close to Newcastle racecourse. The jockey was originally apprenticed to Kris Lees and has maintained close contact with the trainer. On the odd occasion when Lees requires his help at the Newcastle trials, Dylan does his best to oblige. Current arrangements with several city trainers have necessitated a move to the metropolitan area. He and Nevada now live in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs close to the M5 Motorway which affords Dylan easy access to Warwick Farm, Rosehill and to Bong Bong farm on the Southern Highlands. Nevada is now enjoying a full time role with the Physio Tom Equine Performance team which takes her to racing stables all over Sydney.
Dylan’s contribution to the Ciaron Maher operation earned him the first of his two Gr 1 wins when Explosive Jack scored a thrilling win in the 2023 Sydney Cup. The young jockey showed composure beyond his years in the historic two miler and wasn’t perturbed when giving the leaders a big start on top of the rise. He brought the dual Derby winner with a perfectly timed run to grab True Marvel in the shadows of the post. Almost a year later he was able to have Kalapour much closer to the pace in the Gr 1 Tancred Stakes at Rosehill. Kalapour stalked two leaders into the straight before striking the front at the 200m. He didn’t have a lot to spare on More Felons on the line, but was always going to get there. For his jockey two Group 1 wins at twenty two years of age was fairy tale stuff.
Dylan bags his second Gr. 1 on Kalapour in the 2024 Tancred Stakes - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Dylan’s chief supporter, valued tutor and best mate during his short career has been his father and fellow jockey Andrew Gibbons. The successful lightweight has accumulated a sound reputation in a career embracing three decades and more than 1400 winners. His finest achievement came as recently as the 2019/2020 season when he topped the NSW premiership ladder with 124 wins, and claimed fifth spot on the Australian table. A fit and enthusiastic 47 year old, Andrew is still very active on northern tracks and frequently turns up in the city on a Kris Lees trained runner.
There’s nobody better qualified than Andrew to assess the future prospects of his talented son. This is what he had to say about him towards the end of last season and shortly before Dylan’s shoulder problem arose. “He rode without a claim for most of the 2023/2024 season and knows how tough it’s going to be from this point on. As tall as he is, Dylan always has his weight under control. He knows he’ll get back what he puts in. I can guarantee there won’t be a harder working jockey in Sydney.”
A recent win for the elder Gibbons. Andrew wins on Golden Smile at Newcastle in the Australian Bloodstock colours 03/05/2025 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Hollywood Hero gives the Bradley infield camera a cursory glance as he wins the BM94 at Randwick - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)