Edgard Zayas | Horse Racing Free Tips

Edgard Zayas’ Nine Wins Earn Jockey Of The Week Title

Edgard Zayas put an exclamation point on Gulfstream Park's Inaugural Fall Meet with another leading rider title earning him Jockey of the Week for Nov. 15 through Nov. 21. The honor, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

Zayas began the week extending his lead in the standing with a 4-win day on Thursday. Zayas swept the early double for trainers Eddie Plesa, Jr. and Saffie Joseph, Jr. He went on the post wins in races four and six also for Saffie Joseph, Jr. who won the leading trainer title at the Fall Meet.

Zayas continued accumulating wins on Friday for trainers Antonio Sano and Saffie Joseph, Jr. in races six and eight respectively. Saturday, trainer Darien Rodriguez gave a leg up to Zayas in race nine and on Closing Day Sunday, the Saffie Joseph, Jr. and Zayas duo combined to win two races.

A 28-year-old native of Puerto Rico, Zayas dominated the standings finishing with 43 wins, 14 more than his nearest rival and more than $1.2 million in purses. Zayas also won the leading rider title during Gulfstream Park's Spring/Summer Meet.

“I'm really happy and blessed. I'm really appreciative of all the opportunities I get from the owners and trainers,” Zayas said to the Gulfstream Park media. “The quality of horses in South Florida this time of year is getting better and I've been getting on some nice horses. Hopefully there are some big things coming up.”

Zayas is looking to improve on last year's 5th place finish during the Championship Meet at Gulfstream which begins on Friday, Dec. 3.

“I'm looking forward to the Championship Meet. I'm super, super excited,” said Zayas.

Zayas's weekly statistics were 26-9-3-5 for an in-the-money percentage of 65.3 and $228,750 in total purses.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were David Cabrera also with nine wins, Sonny Leon who posted the most wins with 10, Joel Rosario who won the G3 Chilukki at Churchill Downs and Pedro Terrero with an in-the-money percentage of 64.7

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Saffie Joseph Jr. Sets His Sights On Winning Gulfstream Championship Meet Training Title

After adding the inaugural Fall Meet title to his ever-growing list of accomplishments at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. is setting his sights on the upcoming 2021-2022 Championship Meet.

Joseph, whose 36 victories during the fall more than doubled the total of nearest competitor Jorge Delgado, finished second behind perennial leader Todd Pletcher during last season's Championship Meet, eight wins behind the Hall of Famer's total of 58 wins.

“The Championship Meet is Todd's meet. Last year, we were pretty close, but we didn't have as many horses as we have this year. I think we can give him a run for his money,” Joseph said. “He's a legend at Gulfstream. What is it, 15, 16, 17 years? We hope to follow in his footsteps and one day take a run at him. Will it be this year, next year, or the future? I think with the horses were getting and with so many owners supporting us, I think it's possible.”

The 34-year-old Barbados native has long been a fan of the newly inducted Hall of Famer, who has captured 18 consecutive Championship Meet titles.

“I grew up coming here from Barbados on holiday when I was 16, 17, seeing Todd. I would just bet Todd and Johnny V [Velazquez]. That was my favorite combination,” Joseph said. “Just being able to compete against him – he's an icon trainer – I'm just thankful to be in this position.”

Joseph understands he, alone, can't dethrone the longstanding king of Gulfstream.

“I'm just thankful for the horses we have for the people we train for. We have a good team. That's the important thing – you need the horses and a good team behind you,” Joseph said.

Joseph did get the better of Pletcher Sunday when he saddled Girolamo's Attack ($4.20) for a front-running victory in the $60,000 Miami Gardens Handicap. Pletcher-trained Fearless, who captured the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile in February, finished second while coming off a six-month layoff.

Jockey Edgard Zayas, who dominated the Fall Meet title race with 43 wins, once again enjoyed success while teaming with Joseph Sunday while guiding Girolamo's Attack to victory in the mile overnight handicap, in which he carried five pounds fewer than Fearless, the 125-pound highweight.

Girolamo's Attack, who captured the Oct. 27 Miami Beach Handicap in similar fashion, set fractions of :24.12 for the first quarter and :46.57 for the first half mile before holding off Fearless through the stretch to win by a length in 1:34.50.

“His last race was a huge race, but I wasn't sure if because the fractions were so slow, he kicked on and got brave. But today, he definitely showed he's getting better and getting to be a nice horse,” Zayas said. “Early in this horse's career, he had some mental problems. He was a little crazy, but I think he's getting it all together. Today, he acted super professional.”

Fresh off a dominant Spring/Summer Meet title campaign, the 28-year-old native of Puerto Rico finished with 14 wins more than runner-up Chantal Sutherland.

“I'm really happy and blessed. I'm really appreciative of all the opportunities I get from the owners and trainers,” Zayas said. “The quality of horses in South Florida this time of year is getting better, and I've been getting on some nice horses. Hopefully, there are some big things coming up.”

Zayas finished fifth in wins and purses-won during the 2020-2021 Championship Meet and looks forward to the upcoming winter meet that gets underway Dec. 3.

“It's definitely a new challenge. We did pretty good last year. We finished in the Top 5. I'm looking forward to the Championship Meet. I'm super, super excited,” Zayas said.

Zayas and Joseph also teamed for a victory with Designed for Kitten ($6.40) in the Fall Meet's finale.

In Sunday's co-featured Opa-Locka, a mile overnight handicap for fillies and mares, Helping Lisa D ($9.40) pulled off a mild upset following a ground-saving ride by Paco Lopez. The Steven Dwoskin-trained 6-year-old daughter of Flat Out, rated well off the early pace set by 8-5 favorite Dance d'Oro before rallying along the rail to score by 1 ½ lengths in 1:36.50.

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Gulfstream’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed At $300,000 Sunday

Monarch Stables Inc.'s Last Leaf, who captured the Hollywood Beach Stakes of turf in her most recent start, will make her debut over Gulfstream's Tapeta racing surface in Sunday's featured Race 7 optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 5 ½-furlong sprint for 2-year-old fillies will be highlighted in the Rainbow 6 sequence, which will span Races 4-9. The jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $300,000 Sunday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Saturday for the 11th racing day following a $461,035.47 jackpot payoff Oct. 9.

Last Leaf has an experience edge over her five rivals, having won three of six starts while demonstrating the versatility to win on both dirt and turf. The daughter of Not This Time, who broke her maiden on a fast main track in her second career start, will seek her third straight victory Sunday. She ran away with a six-furlong optional claiming allowance by 10 ¾ lengths over a sealed sloppy track Sept. 4 before scoring a narrow victory in the five-furlong Hollywood Beach on turf three weeks later.

“I asked for this race,” trainer Ronald Spatz said. “It will be fun to find out if she can win on four different surfaces. She's won on dirt, a sloppy track, and turf.”

Miguel Vasquez has the return mount.

“She's a nice little filly. She's got little feet; she's blocky; and she runs hard,” Spatz said. “She's a good little sprinter.”

Trainer Michael Stidham, who will maintain a division at Gulfstream for the first time during the Championship Meet, will be represented by Godolphin's Kit Keller, who is coming off a debut victory in a five-furlong maiden special weight race on turf at Laurel Sept. 9.

Edgard Zayas has the call on the homebred daughter of Ghostzapper.

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Make It Big Adds To Joseph Jr.’s Four-Win Day At Gulfstream

Red Oak Stable's Make It Big overcame a slow start and traffic to capture Saturday's $60,000 Ocala Stud Juvenile Sprint, capping a four-win day for both trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and jockey Edgard Zayas at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

In addition, Make It Big, the 4-5 favorite in the seven-furlong sprint for Florida-bred 2-year-olds, was Joseph's 12th winner from his last 21 starters, including two winners at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., and one at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

“Racing is a streaky game. We had a slow Saratoga. It was our first year in New York and we won two Grade 1s, two Grade 3s, and then you go through a slow Saratoga and people like to forget. It's amazing how people can throw you away so quick, and then want you when you get hot,” said Joseph, who also won Saturday's Hudson Handicap at Belmont with Ny Traffic. “You just try to stay steady and try to overcome. You're always going to hit hot spells and you're always going to hit slow spells. My job is to keep the team together, so that when we're down, we keep our heads together. It's always going to level out at the end of the year. You're never going to win a 40 or 30 percent consistently. You're always going to level out and be at 21, 22 [percent]. It's going to go through spells, and you just try and get through them.”

Prior to scoring with Make It Big, Joseph and Zayas teamed for victories with Sister Lou Ann ($4) in Race 3, Jeha ($9.80) in Race 4, and Fate of Ophelia ($17.40) in Race 7.

“Edgard rides a lot for us, and he rides a good race,” Joseph said. “He's a big part of the team.”

Make It Big, who was coming off an 8 ½-length front-running debut victory at Gulfstream three weeks ago, broke a step slowly from his rail post position before assuming a stalking position along the rail behind pacesetter Just Leo, a full brother to multiple graded-stakes winner Firenze Fire, along the backstretch and into the far turn. Just Leo, who set early fractions of :23.08 and :46.31, tired on the turn into the homestretch as Lightening Larry made a three-wide sweep to the lead entering the stretch with Make It Big still trapped behind horses.

Lightening Larry kicked in through the stretch under Romero Maragh but was unable to hold off Make It Big, who launched an outside rally after Zayas finally found running room at the top of the stretch.

“Last time, he broke on the lead, and I didn't expect him to be on the lead. Today was much different,” Joseph said. “He broke; he was behind; he had a tough trip; and he was able to overcome it. I think he's a horse that's going to progress. As the distances get longer, I think he's going to get better.”

Make It Big, a son of Neolithic, ran seven furlongs in 1:25. Lightening Larry held second, 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Clapton.

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