L Hewitson

Lyle Hewitson hails from a racing family. His father, Carl Hewitson, is a former jockey who is now a trainer. Hewitson started out in the saddle playing polocrosse, excelling at both a provincial and national level. At age 12, he set his sights on becoming a jockey and began riding work in Port Elizabeth during school holidays. Instead of heading directly to the South African Jockey Academy, Hewitson’s parents insisted he finish school first, which meant that he began his race-riding career in work riders’ races outside of school hours. After finishing school, Hewitson joined the South African Jockey Academy in 2016 and landed his first win in his 10th race aboard Blizzard Belle at Fairview. The emerging talent finished runner-up in the apprentice championship that season with 73 wins. Hewitson secured the champion apprentice title in 2016/17 with 124 wins. He retained the title in 2017/18 with 184 wins, making history as the first apprentice since Michael Roberts in 1972/73 to win the overall South African Jockeys’ Championship. His most successful day in the saddle came when he landed a Group 1 double at Scottsville on Saturday, 25 May, 2019 in the Sun Gold Medallion and the SA Fillies Sprint. After concluding his first contract in Hong Kong with three winners, Hewitson campaigned in Japan for a two-month stint, where he recorded 19 wins including two Group 2 triumphs. After another short stint in Japan, Hewitson returned to South Africa to capture a third championship title in 2020/21, riding 263 winners. He returned to Hong Kong at the end of 2021 and enjoyed early success before a serious fall in December stalled his progress. The South African made a remarkable return to race-riding in January 2022, going on to close out the season with 27 wins. He enjoyed his first 50-win season in 2022/23. He reached 100 career wins in Hong Kong during the 2023/24 campaign and also rode with success in Australia between seasons. He recorded his first Group race win in Hong Kong with Speed Dragon in the January Cup in the 2025/26 season and ended that season with 27 wins. His latest G1 success came aboard Erik Dubois in the Champion Stakes in South Africa in July 2026. Achievements:South Africa Champion Jockey (2017/18, 2018/19 & 2020/21); South Africa Champion Apprentice (2016/17 & 2017/18). Notable Wins Include:Champion Stakes (2026 Erik Dubois), Thekwini Stakes (2021 Rain In Holland), Gauteng Summer Cup (2018 Tilbury Fort), Rising Sun Gold Challenge (2018 Undercover Agent), SA Fillies Sprint (2019 Celtic Sea), Sun Gold Medallion (2019 Eden Roc), Garden Province Stakes (2018 Redberry Lane & 2019 Celtic Sea), G2 Spring Stakes (2020 Galore Creek), G2 Aobo Sho (2020 Authority), G3 January Cup (2026 Speed Dragon). Hong Kong Career Wins (at start of 2026/27 season) : 176 (win strike rate 6.3%).