After months of battling a knee injury and the frustration of watching races from the sidelines, talented jockey Youville Pinnock finally made a triumphant return to the winners’ enclosure at Caymanas Park on Saturday. Piloting the Anthony Nunes-trained Princess Akilah, Pinnock secured his first win of the year, marking a significant milestone in his comeback journey.

Since beginning his riding career in 2020, Pinnock has racked up 88 career victories, but this one holds special meaning. “It is a massive relief to win my first race of the year,” said Pinnock. “I keep on putting in the hard work and I never gave up. So it is just hard work and dedication all the time.”

The journey back has not been easy as he stated that he has been out of the saddle for a couple of months due to a knee injury, which temporarily halted his career but according to Pinnock even through the downtime, his determination never wavered.

“I was injured with my knee and I am now off the injury. But in racing there are going to be ups and downs. My main focus is not to lose focus,” he said. “I’m just going to continue to put in the work because my day will come.”

That day arrived aboard Princess Akilah and Pinnock is now setting his sights on building consistency and gaining the confidence of more trainers.

“I am confident that more winners will come,” he shared. “All I have to do is put in the work and once the trainers put me up aboard, then I will get the job done. Once I stay fit and healthy, many more should come. And once the trainers see the work, I know they will give me the rides.”