Florent Geroux | Horse Racing Free Tips

Derby Jockeys: With Several Big Names Staying Home, Kentucky Riders Get A Shot In The Big Dance

In a normal year, jockeys would be hard-pressed to miss their flights to Louisville for a chance to ride in the Kentucky Derby. Obviously, 2020 has been anything but a normal year, with the coronavirus pandemic pushing the Run for the Roses back to Sept. 5 and drawing up jockey travel restrictions all around the United States.

Last week, Churchill Downs announced that riders wanting to participate in the Derby will have to arrive in the state of Kentucky by Aug. 31, and participate in several additional coronavirus precautions.

As such, a number of prominent U.S. jockeys won't be making the trip to Kentucky. Jose and Irad Ortiz will both stay in New York, as will Joel Rosario, reports the Daily Racing Form, and last year's Derby winner Flavien Prat will stay in Southern California.

Those choices have opened the doors for Kentucky-based riders to have a chance to pick up a mount in the Derby.

Here's a look at the current 3-year-olds pointing to the Kentucky Derby, and their jockeys (plus state in which they are based), in order of points earned.

Tiz the Law – Manny Franco (New York) – 372
Authentic – John Velazquez (New York) – 200
Art Collector – Brian Hernandez, Jr. (Kentucky) – 150
Honor A. P. – Mike Smith (California) – 140
Ny Traffic – TBD (last ridden by Paco Lopez) – 110
King Guillermo – Samy Camacho (Florida) – 90
Thousand Words – Florent Geroux (Kentucky) – 83
Dr Post – TBD (last ridden by Joe Bravo) – 80
Max Player – Ricardo Santana, Jr. (Kentucky) – 60
Caracaro – TBD (last ridden by Javier Castellano) – 60
Enforceable – Adam Beschizza (Kentucky) – 43
Rushie – TBD (last ridden by Javier Castellano) – 40
Major Fed – James Graham (Kentucky) – 38
Storm the Court – Julien Leparoux (Kentucky) – 36
Attachment Rate – Joe Talamo (Kentucky) – 35
Sole Volante – Luca Panici (Florida) – 30
Finnick the Fierce – TBD (last ridden by Jose Ortiz) – 25
Winning Impression – Joe Rocco, Jr. (Kentucky) – 20
Necker Island – Mitchell Murrill (Kentucky) – 14
Shirl's Speight – Rafael Hernandez (Canada) – 0
Money Moves – TBD (last ridden by Luis Saez) – 0

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‘Thankful To Not Be Sick’: Florent Geroux Out Of Quarantine, Resumes Riding Friday At Ellis

Jockey Florent Geroux was getting on horses at Churchill Downs Tuesday morning for the first time since a positive test for COVID-19 put him on the sideline for two weeks until he tested negative. Geroux resumes riding races Friday at Ellis Park.

“I never had any symptoms, I'm thankful for that,” he said. “I was not sick. You can see in our country and the rest of the world, some of them, it's not very pretty. I was just thankful to not be sick. I missed a couple of weeks of racing, but that's the way it is, and I had to stay home in quarantine.”

Several of Geroux's scheduled mounts won in his absence at Ellis Park.

“It's never a good time, but it's better last week and two weeks ago than happening Kentucky Derby Week,” he said. “And I have some good mounts coming up now.”

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Geroux Latest Jockey to Test Positive for COVID-19

Jockey Florent Geroux has joined a growing list of prominent jockeys who have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Geroux was scheduled to ride Wednesday at Canterbury Park and had to take a test before he would be allowed to ride there. He took the test Monday and came up positive.

“I don’t really have any symptoms,” Georux said. “I was a little bit tired Monday, but I had a long week last week. I didn’t have any shortness of breath or anything like that.”

In less than a week, jockeys Luis Saez, Martin Garcia, Victor Espinoza, Flavien Prat, Eduard Rojas Fernandez and now Geroux have tested positive.

Other than Geroux, the jockeys all rode at Los Alamitos and Saez, Garcia, Espinoza and Prat all rode at the Southern California track July 4.

Geroux does not know where and when he got the virus, but speculated that it might have happened Thursday at Keeneland when he dressed in the same room as Saez. Saez took a test Thursday, and when the results came back positive, the next day he was removed from all his mounts after the second race.

Geroux said he has returned home and has begun his quarantine period.

“I’m looking at the bright side of this,” he said. “It could be a lot worse. There are so many people in hospitals with this that are hooked up to respiratory machines.”

Geroux normally rides at Saratoga, but has decided to make Ellis Park his main base of operation for the remainder of the summer.

Saez and Geroux are two examples of riders who have crisscrossed the country of late only to wind up with the coronavirius, raising fears that traveling jockeys may be spreading the virus from track to track. Shortly before his positive test, Saez rode at Belmont, Los Alamitos, Indiana Grand and Keeneland. Prat rode at Del Mar Friday and at Keeneland Saturday. Geroux rode at Keeneland Friday, at Belmont Saturday and back at Keeneland on Sunday and was scheduled to fly out to Canterbury before returning to Ellis Friday.

Some tracks have put rules in place that only regular local jockeys can compete and there is a growing sentiment for more tracks to do the same. Geroux said the main problem with doing that would mean that it could prohibit out-of-town riders from coming in during the week of the GI Kentucky Derby.

“People are saying what about Saratoga, that Kentucky jocks or California jocks should not be allowed to go to Saratoga,” he said. “Maybe not, but what do you for Derby week? Should only the regular jockeys in Kentucky be allowed to ride? We welcomed everybody at Churchill [during the spring meet] and all the jockeys from New York came there to ride. At Keeneland last weekend, all the jockeys from New York came to ride their big horses at Keeneland and no one put a stop on that. So why shouldn’t Kentucky and California jockeys be able to ride in Saratoga? If they can’t, only the Kentucky colony should be allowed to ride Derby week.”

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Canterbury Park Turf Festival Offers $350,000 In Purses On Wednesday

Canterbury Park will run the $100,000 Mystic Lake Derby for the ninth time on Wednesday as the richest race of the Canterbury Park Turf Festival which includes four additional turf stakes and four undercard dirt races. Trainer Michael Maker will attempt to win the one mile turf Derby for the third consecutive time. A top-five trainer nationally in both wins and purse earnings, Maker ships in Angelus Warrior from Kentucky. The 3-year-old colt has won two of six career starts, all on the turf. Angelus Warrior is the 9 to 5 morning line favorite in the seven-horse field.

Maker also saddles Ask Bailey in the $50,000 Northbound Pride Oaks and 5 to 2 morning line favorite Temple in the $75,000 Mystic Lake Mile. Florent Geroux, sixth nationally amongst jockeys in purse earnings, is named to ride all of Maker's entries.

The Mystic Lake Derby, the fifth race on the program, begins the 50 cent Pick 5 wager with an industry low 10 percent takeout. With no stakes racing at other racetracks across the country Wednesday evening, Canterbury officials expect wagering to be robust. Through 16 days of racing, the Pick 5 pool has averaged $85,232 in handle with an average payout of $21,005. On July 1 a track record $85,340 was paid to the winning ticket holder only to be surpassed the following evening when the Pick 5 returned $98,908. The wager requires the participant to select in order the winners of five consecutive races, placing the bet before the first race in the series begins.

The 28th running of the Lady Canterbury Stakes, at one mile on the turf with a purse of $75,000, could include as many as 11 starters, the largest field of the night. Geroux has also secured the mount aboard the 5 to 2 morning line favorite Winning Envelope who is owned by Robert Lothenbach of Wayzata, Minn. and trained by Chris Block. The 4-year-old filly, whose running style usually positons her at the back of the field before advancing late, has won four of 16 career races. She has been stabled at Churchill Downs this spring and summer.

Beach Flower will defend her Lady Canterbury title from the second post position. Canterbury Hall of Fame trainer Mac Robertson has named Roimes Chirinos to ride. The 7-year-old mare won this race and the Minnesota HBPA Distaff, also a one mile turf race, last summer.

Wednesday's other stakes races are the $50,000 Northbound Pride Oaks, the $50,000 Honor the Hero Stakes and the $75,000 Mystic Lake Mile.

Racing continues Monday through Thursday at the Shakopee, Minn. racetrack with a 4:40 p.m. CDT first post each day.

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