Through the end of December 15th, an interesting phenomenon has emerged in the world of horse racing. A total of 105 jockeys have had at least 600 mounts this year. Among them, a single jockey - Dylan Davis - stands out with a remarkable feat. Only he managed to achieve a flat-bet profit across all his mounts. This is truly astonishing when one considers the context of North America's toughest circuit, which is New York.

Uncovering the Jockey with Unparalleled Performance

Dylan Davis: The Exception in New York

Davis's success in New York is truly remarkable. He notched 207 wins from 1,077 starts in the Big Apple. His performance in Horse Racing Nation Impact (HRNi) is equally impressive. His HRNi was +14%, indicating that he won 14% more often than bettors expected. His return on investment (ROI) of +7.1% also towers above that of other jockeys. For example, Edgar Morales had an ROI of -0.5% from 802 starts.This is not just a one-time occurrence. Davis is one of 13 jockeys with at least 1,000 rides this year. The next closest ROI is that of Jose Ortiz at -13.6%. It's like having Babe Ruth lead the league in home runs while his total is more than any other team combined.Saratoga was especially kind to Davis. His seemingly "just OK" 15% strike rate translated to a +36% HRNi and a +30% ROI. These numbers were easily the best among regular riders at the world's most prestigious race meeting.

Surface Agnosticism: Davis's Versatility

Davis is not limited by the surface. Ignoring the insignificant 0-for-5 synthetic sample size, he has positive numbers on both turf and dirt, as well as in sprints and routes. His ability to perform well across different conditions is truly impressive.The only minor aspect to note is that his ROI on favorites is negative. His HRNi on chalk is still a solid +14.5%, but the flat bet return is -2.2%, indicating a loss. However, he excels on non-favorites, hitting at a 13.7% impact with a +9% ROI.

Honorable Mentions

Among 31 jockeys who rode at least 250 turf races, five had positive ROIs. Hector Berrios was a standout, winning 21.1% of the time, posting a 34.9% HRNi and a +38.9% ROI.Frankie Dettori, despite his celebrity, managed a positive ROI on turf, earning bettors +4.9% on his grass mounts.Emisael Jaramillo gets the synthetic nod as one of the five of the 19 jockeys with at least 300 synthetic mounts, with a +18.9% ROI.When it comes to chalk, Luis Saez is the one to watch. Of the 38 jockeys with at least 150 rides on favorites, only Saez has a positive ROI (+1.3% with a +19% HRNi).Looking for a long shot? Edgar Morales was the man this year. He is one of 28 jockeys who rode at least 300 horses with odds of 10-1 or higher, and he registered an impressive +19% ROI.The Bettors' Best Friends Awards continue on Wednesday with a look at trainers.