Page 39 - The Hunt - Summer 2023

“Racing over there is so much bigger,” says Davies, who’s majoring in business with an entrepreneurship focus. “We don’t have the jump racing like they do. We only have one American
jump-racing professional—Parker Hendriks—
and the rest are European or amateurs.”
Davies notes that the sport here is a lot smaller. “But that makes it nicer in some ways,” he says.
“In England, it’s so hard to get rides and the training because everyone wants be a jockey. At home, amateurs like myself and newer jockeys get opportunities they wouldn’t have over there.”
The UD campus is a mere 10 minutes by car from Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Maryland, where Davies trains up to three mornings a week during the school year. He arranges classes around his training and race schedules. “It’s a balancing act,” Davies admits.
His parents would like him to remain an amateur. One advantage to that is a weight allowance—though, as a former high school wrestler, Davies is accustomed to managing his weight. New jockeys typically get a five-pound break until they exceed 35 wins. “We say he’d be a fool to turn pro while he’s still in college,”
“We say he’d
be a fool to turn pro while he’s still in college,” Davies’ mom says. “As an amateur, he’s a commodity. I don’t want to jinx it, but he’s very much
a natural.”
his mom says. “As an amateur, he’s a commodity. I don’t want to jinx it, but he’s very much a natural.”
At the start of the current season, Davies had won eight sanctioned NSA races, winning 70 junior races, maybe more than anyone ever before him. “Growing up watching my parents in the Hunt Cup, I knew maybe I’d have a chance,” he says. “Then, when I was just becoming old enough, I knew they had this winning streak, but I also knew if I rode for them, hopefully
I wouldn’t be the one to lose it for them. Definitely, there was a bit of pressure, but I like pressure.”
Mom agrees. “We knew he was good enough and ready for the responsibility,” Blythe says. “He could feel the pressure, but like us, Teddy’s good under pressure. He doesn’t panic, yet he was on a horse that’s an overachiever times 10. He brought Vinnie down a notch, and Vinnie kicked Teddy up a notch.”
Davies at last year’s Willowdale Steeplechase and this year's Brandywine Hills Point to Point (opposite page).
D
avies and his family have figured out Vintage Vinnie, a sturdy, speedy black thoroughbred who
turned 14 this spring. “His biggest problem was that he’s so crazy, so he wanted to do what he wanted to do all the time,” says Davies. “He has a mind of
continued on page 46
TheHuntMagazine.com 37