Last season’s champion workrider Lyle Hewitson rode his first winner as a fully-fledged professional apprentice jockey when he got the brilliantly fast Blizzard Belle home by a nose in a memorable finish at Fairview on Friday. His Dad, a former jockey, is part-owner and assistant trainer of the winner.
Lyle Hewitson
The Kearsney College Old Boy, who only joined the SA Jockey Academy in January after matriculating, had his first professional ride on 6 March at Scottsville and as expected was not long in notching up his first winner.
Lyle is the son of former jockey Carl Hewitson, who, as we mentioned, is a part-owner of the winner and is also assistant trainer to Yvette Bremner who saddled the winner.
Lyle had 88 rides as a workrider for 23 winners, including a four-timer in February last year. His strike rate was over 26%.
Ironically, for all his proven capability, he is not yet allowed to ride in races around the turn, but showed fine judgement as he set the fractions and held on just long enough to win the seventh race and register a sixth win on the trot for the Western Winter mare who is the SA 1000m record holder.
She set a time of 54,55 secs on 11 January over the same course and distance.
