Gold Coast product grabs maiden winner in the saddle

By Jordan Gerrans

After beginning his riding journey on the Gold Coast, young apprentice Dylan Bennett has returned to where it all began to grab his first winner.

The 20-year-old piloted his maiden race victory on Friday afternoon at Lismore in Northern NSW, making the short trip south from the Gold Coast for the assignment.

The former Merrimac State High School student started with Chris Waller at Aquis Park around five years ago before spending a number of years in Sydney with the master trainer.

The emerging hoop has recently returned to the Glitter Strip – where he grew up – for a three month riding stint with Waller’s satellite stable.

He was able to notch his first victory in Benchmark 58 grade aboard Dusky Dancer for Gold Coast conditioner Mario Caltabiano.

“I do not show much emotion but inside I was very happy,” Bennett said on Monday morning from the Rosehill trials.

Bennett got his start in the industry through his mother Tash Dimattina, who was a long-term employee of Waller’s on the Gold Coast.

Waller's Queensland stable foreman Brett Killion explained that Bennett was a regular face around their Bundall stable well before he began his apprenticeship.

“Dylan’s mum worked for us here when we first started here in 2017 and she was here until 2020 after a lifetime in the sport,” Killion said.

“Dylan was coming in during school holidays at first doing some part-time work.

“Once he finished school he started to learn how to ride here and then eventually he went down to Sydney.”

After starting out on the Gold Coast with Waller, Bennett headed to Sydney where he spent a few years and learnt his trade as a rider.

He has been back on the Gold Coast for the last three months.

Bennett was back in NSW on Monday morning riding at the trials with Killion noting he is set to be riding at Hawkesbury later this week.

He is likely to spend the next 10 days working in NSW.

As well as being around the stable of the champion trainer in Waller, Bennett has also ridden outside work for other trainers, including veteran Caltabiano.

That is how he picked up the booking on Dusky Dancer at Lismore late last week.

“He has ridden it work a couple of times so we thought we would give him the chance on it,” Caltabiano said of Bennett.

“It was very good for him.

“He is an easy horse to ride, he just jumps and runs.

“With the 55.5 kilograms on his back, that helped him.”

Speaking post-race, Caltabiano said he had given a few jockeys their maiden winners across his decades in the game.

“It is good,” he said.

The breakthrough victory came for Bennett at just his third race ride, after taking his first two in the later months of 2022.

“He is a nice sit and go horse, he tries his heart out and he knows where the line is definitely,” he said of the gelding that gave him his first victory.

“It was a good effort.

“I knew he had it in his tank, I was confident in him as he was travelling beautiful.

“Up the straight, he went to another level and was flying.”

Bennett’s biggest fan – Dimattina – was at Lismore on Friday for the special milestone.

“She surprised me, she cannot miss a race,” Bennett said of his mum.

“She initially said she could not make the races that day but she surprised me.”