When jockey Dylan Davis entered the starting gate with Army Officer for the eighth race at Gulfstream Park Feb. 28, it was something he had done more than 12,000 times in his career.
But this time it was different.
In this race, the 31-year-old Davis was putting behind him the worst racetrack experience of his life. Just 3 1/2 months after suffering a long list of serious injuries, he was back riding again.
It really didn't matter that Army Officer finished 10th. The Mike Maker-trained gelding was a 41-1 shot.
The victory came in the way Davis has rebounded from a spill and injuries that could have been far worse. Perhaps even fatal.
"It's unbelievable. I've been smiling since the day I got the clearance to ride again," he said. "Getting back on horses puts me in a good place."
Davis rode in a stakes later that day and had four rides on the March 1 card. He had his best finish, a second, in his final try Sunday. His agent, Mike Migliore, has lined up two mounts for him on March 5, one on March 6, and Davis is slated to ride in six races March 7.
With small steps, the son of former jockey Robbie Davis is working his way back to the form that made him one of New York's top riders at the time of his frightening Nov. 14 spill at Aqueduct Racetrack.
"He had a great mindset to come back and worked hard on the physical therapy. Being young helped. He took the right steps to come back and he hasn't missed a beat," Migliore said about the winner of 1,623 races and earner of $104 million in his career. "He looked really good in his races and the phone is ringing, so people noticed. I was proud of the way he rode. We're riding for the right guys, trainers like Saffie Joseph Jr., Mark Casse, Chad Brown, so things are going to be fine."
All of those positive vibes are in complete contrast to the mood immediately after the spill and the next few weeks.
In the fateful race, Davis was riding Tarpaulin, when a horse went down in front of them and Tarpaulin stumbled over the fallen rider. Davis was thrown from the saddle and violently crashed to the ground.
As he lay there, there were moments when Davis faced the devastating possibility that he was paralyzed.
"When I was down on the dirt, I took a few breaths and realized what happened," he said. "I then started testing my body, my arms and legs, and I couldn't move my legs. It was for about 15 or 20 seconds. It was because of an injury to my kidney. I felt a sharp pain in my spine but it was the kidney. That was the scariest part. I thought I was paralyzed."
Davis was able to alleviate that fear when he moved his feet and toes for the first time. But he did not escape serious injury. His injuries included a fractured right clavicle, a fracture of the right upper arm bone, fractures of five ribs on his left side and four on his right side, a collapsed left lung, a small accumulation of blood in the chest cavity, a pulmonary contusion, and a grade 5 laceration of the left kidney.
He was taken by ambulance to Jamaica Hospital and then transferred to North Shore University Hospital through the help of Bob Rosenthal, owner of Tarpaulin.
He spent 10 days in the hospital, dealing with the physical pain of his injuries and mental anguish. There were fleeting moments when he wondered if it was time to stop riding.
"Definitely the mental part was the tough part," Davis said. "I went through a lot. It was the toughest spill of my career. There was so much pain. I'm in a hospital and can't really move and there were thoughts in my mind of how it could have been much worse. I wondered if I wanted to continue my career. But as I was healing and moving and challenging myself physically, my mental outlook started getting better, too. I was able to move around and do things with my kids and everything changed."
Coming from a jockey's family also helped. He and two of his sisters, Jacqueline and Katie, followed in their dad's footsteps and entered the business fully aware of the inherent risks. In 2021, Dylan broke six ribs and his collarbone in a spill. Ironically, Jacqueline was sidelined at the same time as her brother, as she could not ride from June 2 through Feb. 19 after suffering multiple fractures in a spill.
"I've dedicated my life to racing and that's all that I know," said Dylan, who began working horses Feb. 20 in Florida. "I enjoy racing so much that once I started getting healthy, I knew I was born to race and how much I enjoy competing with the other riders and the thrill of winning. As soon as I was cleared to ride, I started working horses the next day. I have some unfinished business. There are some big races I want to win."
In time, that will come. But for now, Davis intends to continue on the comeback trail through the end of March at Gulfstream Park and then will ride either back home in New York or Keeneland.
Wherever he goes, rest assured Dylan Davis will be ecstatic to be riding again.
"The spill was tough and it was a long road back. The physical therapy was grueling," he said. "But the business looks good right now. I'm really happy with the respect and loyalty from owners and trainers to put me back on their horses. It's so great to be riding again."
