Donovan Dillon

Racing and race riding has changed and if one doesn’t roll with the times, you are thrown out with yesterday’s news. However, as young rider Donovan Dillon proves, there is still a place for some old fashioned values.

Donovan has a professionalism and dedication that belie his fresh-faced 23 years and seems to be a jockey cut from the cloth of days gone by – diligent about morning work, always cheerful, prompt into the parade ring and always ready with a handshake and a friendly comment. After moving to Cape Town a little over a year ago for the Mike Robinson string, it didn’t take long for him to get noticed – first by the Snaiths and then by Goodhope Racing’s Joey Ramsden, where Donovan is currently first choice rider – as well as the other half of the Ramsden Stable Comments comedy duo!

About Donovan

Donovan was born in Johannesburg on 14 November 1993. He lost his father in 2001 and counts that as a pivotal event in his life. “Things were quite tough growing up – we moved around a lot and I went to a couple of different schools. I was always quite small and a lot of people said to my mom, I should try the Jockey Academy and it worked, haven’t looked back.”

Donovan is not from a racing background and the first time he sat on a horse was at the Academy. He joined the Academy in 2009 alongside the likes of Jarryd Penny, Lerato Mohapi, Bryan Claassen, Franklin Maleking and Mandla Ntuli and riding masters were Stephen Jupp, Lawrence O’Donoghue and Rhys van Wyk. Donovan says, “I played all sorts of sport at school – cross country, swimming, rugby, cycling, soccer – I was fit as anything and when I got to the Academy I think it made it easier for me that I was fit and healthy and had the strength I needed. When things started going well for me, I thought this is what I’ve got to do and I’m so glad it’s turned out so well. If I hadn’t gone to the Academy things might not have gone as well. It got me away from everything. After losing my father at a young age, I lost myself a little bit. I wasn’t really interested in schoolwork and would rather do sport than academics. I didn’t know what I wanted in life and was confused, I suppose. Going to the Academy helped me find focus and having battled through school, it made me want to work for something in life. It’s amazing what a little difference can make.”

Donovan ended up making Head Boy. “Rhys van Wyk always saw a spark and drive and helped me more than anything, but all the teachers and even the people in the office – everybody at the Academy played a big role in making me who I am. It was a great experience for me.”

He was selected to represent SA in the 2013 Asian Young Guns challenge, doing us proud by becoming the first apprentice to bring home a winner for SA as well as winning the overall competition on points and a different leg of the competition saw him getting the chance to ride at Newbury in the UK where he finished 4th.

Early Career

Donovan’s first ride under rules came on 24 April 2011, riding Captain Lovemore for Dennis Bosch at Clairwood Park and his first win came at his 4th attempt on 15 May 2011 courtesy of Baranova for the Michael Roberts string. Donovan based himself in KZN, becoming first choice rider for the Doug Campbell string, but made sure he kept himself busy in the mornings and was soon being offered opportunities across the board, including the likes of Charles Laird who gave him his first feature race winner aboard Rio Carnival in the Gr3 Kings Cup as well as an opportunity to ride Ice Machine in the 2015 Vodacom Durban July, finishing just over 4 lengths back from Power King. “I battled to sleep the night before – the nerves were going! But what an experience it was. Going to the start with all the people cheering gives you extra confidence – if you put your mind to it, you can imagine they’re cheering you on. Then coming to the finish and hearing all those people shouting – it throws you a little, but it’s good experience.”

“Anton Marcus has always been a big help in my career and got me going when I was an apprentice. He got me the job with Yogas Govender in my 3rd year and I’ve never looked back. It’s hard when you lose your claim as it really does help. I lost my claim quite quickly, but luckily I also got a lot of experience quickly as I had to adapt. With a claim you’ve got that advantage on others, you can go a little sooner and hold on to win the race. But when you lose your claim, you’ve got to wait and see how much you’ve got left. It’s all about feel and judgement of what you’ve got underneath you and one of my strengths was that I always knew how much I had underneath me.”

Work Ethic

Donovan is known for being particularly polite and hard-working and says, “Coming from a family that hasn’t always had it that easy made me want to work harder. I want to be like Anton. His work ethic is phenomenal – and he’s hard-working and dedicated. Another rider I really look up to is Bernard Fayd’herbe. I am heavier and quite tall like Bernard, but he has a great work ethic and dedication to the game and I really look up to him for that.”

Weight

Donovan rides at 55,5kgs comfortably, but can get down to 54,5kgs if the occasion requires. “If it’s a good ride, then I’ll obviously do that weight, but I can’t go lower than that unfortunately.” In terms of managing his weight, he runs a lot, but does have to waste. “It’s not the easiest thing in the world, he admits, “And when you haven’t got the weight to lose, that makes it harder. You’ve got to watch what you eat and I don’t starve, but I do train a lot to make up for it. You can’t do one and not the other and there has to be a balance, but it’s going well at the moment.”

Move to Cape Town

In August 2015, Donovan got a job offer from Mike Robinson to relocate to the Cape. “I always thought Durban’s a tough place. You’ve got Anton, Anthony, Sean Cormack was still riding at the time – all the top guys – and then everyone else was on a par. I wanted to try and better myself and further my career, so I thought let me take the risk and everything fell into place.” Asked for the highlights so far, Donovan says just moving to the Cape is a highlight in itself. “I love it. It was so social and welcoming and made me feel like this is the place I wanted to be from the get go and it’s been like that ever since. I can’t see myself living in Joburg or Durban again. Getting first choice for Joey is the other highlight as it’s something I’ve worked all my apprenticeship and time for. Obviously I’ve had first choice for Doug Campbell before, but Joey is a bit different. The yard is so much bigger and he’s won it all.”

Having been with the yard for a while now, Donovan has seen the progression of the 2yo’s from the juvenile ranks into the new 3yo season. “Table Bay and Just Sensual were among the horses that I’ve brought right through. It’s unfortunate that one gets taken off in the big ones, but Anton is first choice for Markus Jooste and that’s his job and the way it goes, but it’s nice – even sitting on the sidelines – to see those horses doing well and makes you feel good to be part of the team. Table Bay was my outright pick and it’s nice to see he’s done so well. Miranda Frost is another who did so well as a baby. She’s lost her way a little, but we’ll get her right. It’s good to work with them from 2yo’s into 3 and 4yo’s and see how they progress. It’s what you get up for in the morning.”

The yard is enjoying success and one of the latest fun initiatives is the weekly Runners Report videos that Joey and Donovan post ahead of the weekend’s race meetings. “Stephanie decided that we should help promote the stable and it would be good feedback for owners and it’s a lot of fun. A lot of people follow Joey on Twitter and Facebook, so it’s nice for me to get my face out there too.”

Donovan still finds time to ride for other stables when the opportunity arises, recently notching the Gr2 Southern Cross Stakes for Justin Snaith aboard Jo’s Bond.

Behind every man

Behind every man is a strong woman, but Donovan has four! “My mom and I have a very close relationship. My mom watches racing all the time and has tried to catch onto all the horsey terms. I have an older sister who is currently in Joburg studying law. She is supportive, but is always studying and never really has time to watch much racing and then my biggest supporter is my Gran.” Donovan also has a long-term partner, Tayla Mackinnon and says, “She helps me and gives me confidence. She’s the rock behind me and keeps me determined and focussed on what I want to do in life. She is so supportive and constantly has my back, no matter what.”

Future plans

“I’m mainly focussed on the Cape season for now and am not travelling. Being a bit of a heavy jockey, it takes a lot out of you having to sweat 3 or 4 or 5 times a week. Obviously for the Durban season I will be travelling again. I’ve still got relationships with owners and trainers in Durban from my time there and I always seem to get a few rides there. Obviously Joey goes up for the season and I’ll ride for him, but it’s nice to get around a little – people notice those things.”

Looking longer term, Donovan has international aspirations. “Riding abroad is a stage that must come in every jockey’s career. It makes you a better rider and I’d like that experience and to get over there and learn what I can. I’ll want to look at sending my resume out in about year and half to two years’ time, but I’ll have to sit down and think where I want to send it to. Being a heavy jock is not that easy, but I’d love to try out Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong – it all depends on where would be best for my weight and make the most success for myself, but if I get an opportunity to ride abroad, I’ll need to try something different because the lighter you are, the more chances you get and the more opportunities can come your way.”

However, he wants to make his name here first and has his eye on the Cape Championship. “It’s not easy riding against the local guys who all have top stables behind them, but having a top stable behind me gives me the confidence that I can do it. Obviously it’s going to take a lot of hard work and things will need to go my way, but I’m determined.”