Dylan Machado (Luan’s kid brother) wins American debut

By Churchill Downs publicist Kevin Kerstein (Coady Media photo of Dylan Machado winning on his first North American mount, Good Money for trainer Ben Colebrook. Coady Media)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025) – The Machado family celebrated a new milestone Friday at Churchill Downs when 19-year-old Dylan Machado, the younger brother of Kentucky-based rider Luan Machado, secured his first North American victory aboard Good Money in Race 9. It was Dylan’s American debut.

Machado, a former standout rider in Brazil, arrived in the U.S. earlier this week and has already attracted attention from several local trainers. Represented by Cory Prewitt, Machado will be based at Turfway Park this winter and has been named on seven mounts across the first two days of the Holiday Meet, which begins Wednesday.

“I’m so thankful for everyone who helped open the doors for me to come here,” Machado said. “Winning at Churchill Downs is something I’ll never forget. I came here to work hard every day and prove I belong. This is the biggest win of my career so far.”

Like his brother, Machado began his career in Brazil, where he quickly became one of the country’s rising talents. He won hundreds of races as an apprentice rider at Hipódromo da Gávea in Rio de Janeiro before relocating to North America.

The Machado family has deep roots in horse racing. Their father, Ronaldo Machado, was a longtime jockey in Brazil. Luan, now firmly established on the Kentucky circuit, has earned multiple riding titles at Turfway Park since relocating to the U.S. fulltime in 2018.

“To be here riding in the same place as Luan is very special,” Machado said. “We’ve dreamed about this for a long time.”

Dylan and Luan aren’t the only Machado siblings based in Kentucky. Their brother Muriel Machado, who also rode in Brazil, works as a valet in the Churchill Downs jockeys’ quarters and was galloping this summer at Turfway Park for trainers Doug Cowans and Brendan Walsh.

“Dylan is so lucky,” Luan joked. “We kept saying he was going to win with this horse in his first start here. He’s a very talented rider and I’m glad he was able to come to Kentucky.”