Gutierrez upbeat about future

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – After enjoying a sensational apprenticeship, life begins anew for Reylu Gutierrez who officially becomes a journeyman jockey on Sunday at Aqueduct.

The transition to journeyman status means Gutierrez loses the five-pound weight allowance he has been riding with for the last year. It can be a difficult transition as trainers who used Gutierrez because of the weight break may now look to a different apprentice. Gutierrez is named on four horses on Sunday’s nine-race card.

For his part, Gutierrez, a finalist for the 2018 Eclipse Award as leading apprentice, is maintaining an upbeat attitude about the future.

“I really don’t have a concern,” Gutierrez said before the start of Friday’s card at Aqueduct. “It’s like being in the business world and going from one job to the next. It’s about transitioning and learning. It’s normal that I’ll lose business like every bug boy.”

Gutierrez entered Friday’s card as the fifth-leading rider at the Aqueduct winter meet with 41 victories, despite a recent 2 for 51 slump. One of his victories this winter came aboard Not That Brady in the Damon Runyon Stakes. Gutierrez was scheduled to ride Not That Brady in Saturday’s Grade 3 Gotham.

Gutierrez was hard on himself for losing the Grade 3 Withers on Not That Brady, opening the rail up for Tax to come through and beat him by a head.

“He made my skin a lot thicker; losing that race was probably the most meaningful race of my career,” Gutierrez said. “Winning it would have been great, but losing it taught me a lot more about myself, about the job, ups and downs.”

Apprentice riders do not get to ride with a weight allowance in a stakes race. Gutierrez was named to ride in three of the four stakes on Saturday’s card at Aqueduct, a sign of confidence from trainers who will likely stick with him moving forward. He has ridden in 25 stakes over two years.

Another positive sign for Gutierrez is that agent Jimmy Riccio Jr. will still book mounts for him. Riccio, who also is the agent for reigning Eclipse Award winner Jose Ortiz, has worked for Joe Bravo in the past in New York. Agents are restricted to two riders.

“I really like the kid. He’s a very hard worker, very smart rider,” Riccio said of Gutierrez. “The weight hasn’t been the easiest for him, reducing to make apprentice weight. When he becomes a journeyman he can add a few pounds to a lot of his mounts. He’s going to be stronger.”

While Gutierrez acknowledges he could lose some business, he did find a silver lining to being able to ride five pounds heavier.

“I heard New York pizza is the best pizza, so now I can take people up on that,” he said.

Mr. Buff fires bullet

Mr. Buff worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 on Friday morning over Belmont Park’s training track and is being pointed to the Grade 2, $400,000 New Orleans Handicap on March 23 at Fair Grounds.

The work, in which he shaded 36 seconds for the final three furlongs, was the fastest of 25 at the distance Friday morning. Junior Alvarado was up for the move.

“Junior called me after the breeze and said he had him in the three or four path in the stretch and that he did it on his own,” trainer John Kimmel said by phone from Ocala, Fla., where he was attending the breeze show for next week’s OBS 2-year-olds in training sale.

Mr. Buff, a New York-bred son of Friend Or Foe, has won four straight 1 1/8-mile, twoturn races, including the Jazil Stakes at Aqueduct by 5 1/4 lengths. Overall, he is 5 for 5 in nine-furlong races around two turns, which is the configuration of the New Orleans Handicap.

“I think it’s worth going,” Kimmel said. “The horse is in good form, and there’s nothing really exciting in the handicap division. Why not take a chance? He’s worthy.”

Kimmel said Mr. Buff would have one more breeze at Belmont before shipping on March 16 to New Orleans.

◗ Joevia, runner-up to Haikal in the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes here Feb. 9, worked five furlongs in 1:01.54 on Friday morning over the Belmont training track. He is pointing to next Saturday’s Private Terms Stakes at Laurel.

The Private Terms is run at 1 1/16 miles around two turns and will be Joevia’s first try going that far.