Florent Geroux only occasionally travels from his Kentucky base during the summer to ride at Canterbury Park, but it usually proves to be worthwhile. This trip was no exception: with three stakes wins, the panel of racing experts voted Geroux Jockey of the Week for June 19 through June 25.
The award recognizes jockeys for riding accomplishments and who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1,050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.
On Wednesday evening, Canterbury Park presented the Northern Stars Turf Festival featuring five turf stakes races. Geroux and trainer Jonathan Thomas, who was sending horses to Canterbury for the first time, teamed up for three stakes wins.
The pair won the first stakes of the evening with Fuerteventura in the Brooks Fields Stakes. Off as the favorite in the field of six and breaking from post position four, Fuerteventura settled in the middle as the field raced up the backstretch. Taking his cue from Geroux, Fuerteventura began to make up ground at the top of the stretch and dueled with Stagecoach Boys to the wire to get up just in time to win in 1:33.21 for a mile.
Next, the duo of Geroux and Thomas took the Lady Canterbury with Regal Realm. Off as the favorite but pinched back at the start, Regal Realm raced in the middle of the pack on the outside. Regal Realm came four wide into the stretch and rolled home to win by a length in 1:34.35 for the one mile race.
“I was very pleased with her,” Geroux said of Regal Realm. “She gave me a very nice kick.”
Geroux and Thomas struck for the third time in the Dark Star Turf Sprint with race favorite, High Front. Trailing early after a slow break, High Front started to pick off rivals on the turn and kicked clear in the final furlong to win the five furlong contest in :54.80.
Also that evening, Geroux finished second in the Curtis Sampson Oaks for trainer Brad Cox and third in the Canterbury Derby for trainer Mike Maker. Geroux also traveled to Thistledown on Saturday for the Grade Ohio Derby where he finished second aboard Bishops Bay.
Geroux outpolled fellow riders Gerardo Corrales who won the G3 Ohio Derby with Two Phil's, Tyler Gaffalione who won the G3 Chicago at Ellis Park with Society, Trevor McCarthy who won the Dancin Rene at Belmont with Kant Hurry Love, and Jaime Rodriguez who finished the week with 12 wins to lead all jockeys.
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