Lyle Hewitson is sticking to his original plan to visit family in the UK during the Hong Kong off season so will not be attempting to get rides on Marshalls World Of Sports Gold Cup day.

 

Reflecting on his meteoric season and comparing it to his three championship seasons in South Africa, he said, “I am very proud of my achievements here, especially on being here for only half of the season, and after returning from injury etc. It has been great and really is amazing to get to this point. But this is just the foundation hopefully to future success here! But being a champion jockey in SA is what got me here, and winning numerous championships is very special especially the number of winners and at such a young age. So those were very special and important to me!”

 

Hewitson’s 26 winners on the island this season, with just one meeting remaining, puts him in 12th position on the log , but all of the jockeys above him have had more rides. He only arrived for the season at the end of November having ridden 39 winners up until then in South Africa’s season.  

 

He has had 331 rides on the island which gives him a strike rate of 7.8%, which does not sound high but it should be remembered that the fields are usually full and all of the jockeys on the island compete in the same meetings. 

 

Consequently, only three jockeys on the island have a strike rate above 10%, and they are the three at the top of the log.

 

Zac Purton has ridden 132 winners at a strike rate of 19.9%, Joao Moreira has ridden 132 winners at 19.2% and Karis Teetan has ridden 72 winners at 11%.

 

Furthermore, Hewitson might well have the highest strike rate on the island since mid-April when a couple of meetings in which he rode five winners in six mounts turned his Hong fortunes around.

 

From any winner being something for his folowers back in SA to celebrate it is now a disappointment to not see him in the winner’s enclosure in any meeting.

 

What makes his season all the more remarkable is he returned from a horror fall on Champions Day. 

 

He said to the South China Morning Post recently, after missing a month with a fractured pelvis “That [quiet] spell has been important. From a physical riding aspect, it’s made me have to better myself. From a mental side of things, it’s made me tougher and more mature as a rider. I’m better for it. It tests you in all different aspects of being a professional sportsman and also as an individual. You learn a lot more about yourself and at the same time how much stronger you can be if you actually push through that.”

 

Hewitson is enjoying life on the island since lockdown has ended and has even been able to get in some surfing.