Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Gaffalione going to Keeneland to get Breeders’ Cup mounts
Jockey Tyler Gaffalione will be branching out following Gulfstream Park’s springsummer meet, which closes at the end of September. Gaffalione will be based at Keeneland for the fall meet, which runs Oct. 5-27, his agent, Matt Muzikar, said Wednesday. Last fall, Gaffalione shipped in for a few mounts at Keeneland.
“We’re trying to land some Breeders’ Cup horses,” Muzikar said. “We’re taking the best opportunities given to us, and we’ll see what happens from there.”
Gaffalione, who turned 24 on Wednesday, has spent some of his summer on the road. Despite the travels to such tracks as Del Mar, Saratoga, and Kentucky Downs, he’s second in the Gulfstream spring-summer meet standings through Wednesday.
“This year, we rode out of town more than usual,” Muzikar said. “More opportunities came about.”
Muzikar said Gaffalione is scheduled to ride Friday at Gulfstream, on Saturday at Belmont Park, and on Sunday at Gulfstream. Earlier this week, the rider was in action at Kentucky Downs, where last Saturday he guided Bigger Picture to a runner-up finish in the Grade 3, $750,000 Kentucky Turf Cup.
Later this year, Gaffalione will settle in for the championship meet at Gulfstream. Last season, he was third in the championship standings. Gaffalione won last year’s spring-summer title at Gulfstream.
Gaffalione launched his career in 2014 and was honored with the Eclipse Award as outstanding apprentice in 2015. Through Tuesday he had won 934 races from 5,471 mounts. Those mounts have earned more than $32 million. Gaffalione picked up his first Grade 1 win in May at Churchill Downs aboard Salty in the La Troienne.
During the current Gulfstream meet he won the Sugarloaf Key Handicap with Curlin’s Approval, who is a candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
Gaffalione’s mounts Friday at Gulfstream include Baroness Vontrappe, the probable favorite in a maiden special weight for fillies and mares at a mile on turf that goes as the fourth race. Ralph Nicks trains the daughter of Trappe Shot, who is coming off a runner-up finish at the same level June 15 at Gulfstream. Baroness Vontrappe races for Pegasus Stud.
Bitacora marooned outside
The stakes winner Bitacora and Gaffalione must overcome breaking from gate 11 in the featured eighth race Friday at Gulfstream. The optional $25,000 claiming route will be run at a mile on turf and carries first-level allowance conditions.
Bitacora won over the local course in June in the $100,000 Ginger Punch.
The field for Friday includes Sweet Story, who was third by a neck when racing at this same level at Gulfstream last out, and Snirvana, who is making her second start in North America. Swiss Alps is entered for the main track only.
Bitacora was fifth as the favorite in an off-the-turf overnight stakes last out, the $75,000 Panama City on Aug. 11 at Gulfstream. The race marked her first start on dirt in more than a year. One race prior, Bitacora and Gaffalione drove to a halflength win in the Ginger Punch, which was run at 1 1/16 miles on turf. Peter Walder trains Bitacora, a daughter of Dominus who has a 4-for-18 record over the grass at Gulfstream.
Bitacora also has won on a wet track. There is a 50 percent chance of rain Friday at Gulfstream.
Snirvana exits a fifth-place finish in an optional $25,000 claiming route on turf Aug. 18 at Gulfstream. She was beaten 2 1/2 lengths in what was her first out since November. Snirvana’s previous starts had come in France. Patrick Biancone trains the 4-year-old by Elusive Quality for D P Racing.
Athera can be closer to the pace than she found herself last time, when she closed from 20 lengths back for a neck win over optional $20,000 claiming rivals in a 7 1/2-furlong turf race Aug. 11 at Gulfstream.