For readers unfamiliar with the name, Dylan Kitts is a 22-year-old conditional jockey attached to the Rhonehurst yard of Warren Greatrex in Upper Lambourn, Hungerford, who, in recent months, has been making headlines for the wrong reasons.
In May, 2023, he was banned from riding for 14 days by local stewards for failing to achieve the best possible placing on his mount, Jet Of Dreams, trained by Greatrex, who finished second in a maiden hurdle at Warwick. On that occasion, the in-running comment in the ‘Racing Post’ read, ‘Held up in rear, headway 3 out, soon nudged along, went third but hung left after 2 out, went second final 110yds, no match for winner, eyecatcher’. Greatrex, nonetheless, defended Kitts, saying, ‘In my opinion, he’s ridden that horse like a mature rider and he’s done what I’ve told him to do…He [Kitts] felt he was hanging and was making a [respiratory] noise, which he’s done in the past.’
However, in July, 2023, Kitts was embroiled in further controversy his riding of Hillsin, trained by Chris Honour, who finished third, beaten just 1¼ lengths in a conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle at Worcester. Once again, the in-running comment in the ‘Racing Post’ was fairly damning, reading, ‘Held up in rear, headway 6th, in touch with leaders after 4 out, going easily but tenderly handled home straight, lost ground 3 out, stayed on and went third run-in, eyecatcher’. Kitts reportedly told local stewards that the gelding had made ‘ a respiratory noise towards the end of the back straight which continued on several more occasions throughout the race’ and ‘also hung badly right-handed’, but Hillsin was suspended from running for 40 days and his jockey referred to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).
In happier times, Kitts, who claims a weight allowance of 7lb when riding against fully-fledged professionals, has taken 94 rides and ridden 11 winners, seven for Warren Greatrex and four for Herefordshire trainer Tom Lacey. His most recent victory came on Sageburg County, trained by Greatrex, in a handicap chase at Market Rasen on May 12, 2023.