jockey of the week | Horse Racing Free Tips

Four Claiming Crown Wins Net Paco Lopez Jockey Of The Week Title

Paco Lopez started the 2021-2022 Gulfstream Park Championship Meet in style with a five-win day on Saturday including four stakes races in the Claiming Crown Series. Lopez's achievements earned Jockey of the Week for Nov. 29 through Dec. 5. 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.

For the 10th consecutive year, Gulfstream Park hosted the Claiming Crown, a series of nine starter stakes races celebrating the blue-collar horses that are the back-bone of racetracks around the country.

Lopez was aboard Blue Steel for trainer Jeff Hiles in the Claiming Crown Iron Horse Kent Sterling Memorial to start the series. The pair took over the lead around the turn and kicked clear to win the race by a half-length in 1:44.61 for 1 1/16 miles.

Lopez also won the next race, his third on the card, the Claiming Crown Distaff Dash for trainer Jane Cibelli aboard Payntdembluesaway. Off as the favorite in the field of 12, Payntdembluesaway scored a four-length victory in :55.31 for the five furlong turf test.

Trainer Eddie Plesa, Jr. gave a leg up to Lopez on Miles Ahead in the Claiming Crown Rapid Transit, a seven furlong race on the dirt. Off as the favorite in the field of 10, Miles Ahead tracked the leaders outside and up the backstretch wearing down his rivals to pull clear by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:21.99.

The Claiming Crown Emerald was the last of the starter series. Riding for trainer Luis Carvajal, Jr., Lopez took Mid Day Image straight to the lead from the inside post, maintained a clear lead at the top of the stretch and went on to post a 1 1/4-length win in 1:39.82 for 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

“Not too bad a day,” said Lopez to the Gulfstream Park Publicity team. “We had five wins and a couple of seconds. My horses ran very well today.”

A multiple graded stakes winner and the 2008 Eclipse Award winner as leading apprentice, Lopez shares the Gulfstream Park track record with seven wins on a single day.

Lopez's weekly statistics were 35-8-6-3 and total purse earnings of $371,525.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were Arnaldo Bocachica with 10 wins, Juan J. Hernandez who won the G1 Starlet, Sonny Leon also with 10 wins and Luis Saez who won the G1 Cigar Mile.

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Resurgent Kent Desormeaux Voted Jockey Of The Week

Veteran jockey Kent Desormeaux closed the Del Mar Bing Crosby meet on a high note by winning two graded stakes during the track's turf festival. His achievements earned the title of Jockey of the Week for Nov. 22 through Nov. 28. 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.

The holiday weekend card featured seven stakes races on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course. Riding for trainer Phil D'Amato on Friday, Desormeaux was aboard the stretch-running Say the Word for the first time in the G2 Hollywood Turf Cup. Say the Word was last in the field of seven for the first mile of the 1 1/2-mile contest for 3-year-olds and up. Desormeaux swung Say the Word to the outside at the top of the stretch and in a drive to the wire overtook his stablemate Acclimate to win by a length in 2:27.62. The win was Desormeaux's first in the Hollywood Turf Cup.

Trainer John Shirreffs gave a leg up to Desormeaux on Beyond Brilliant in Saturday's G1 Hollywood Derby. In the field of 14, Desormeaux was riding Beyond Brilliant for the third time. From an inside post, the duo made every pole a winning one finishing the nine furlong test over Santin by a neck in 1:48.84.

“All the credit for this win goes to the barn,” said Desormeaux to the Del Mar publicity office. “They've done wonders with this horse the past month. When I rode him last time (10/31) at Santa Anita, he was a handful to control. Today he was easy.”

The victory was the first for Desormeaux in the Hollywood Derby. He has 87 stakes wins at Del Mar, ninth most of all riders.

After a slow start to the meet, Hall of Famer Desormeaux came on strong to finish 4th in the Del Mar standings with 10 wins and $1,153,196 in purses.

Desormeaux outpolled Tyler Gaffalione who was the leading rider in wins for the week, Jose Lezcano who won three stakes races, Jose Ortiz with two Grade 1 stakes and one Grade 3, and Irad Ortiz, Jr. who won four stakes races.

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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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Tyler Gaffalione Voted Jockey Of The Week After Record-Setting Six-Win Day

After winning the leading jockey title at Keeneland for the third time, Gaffalione moved on to Churchill Downs and kept the momentum going. Winning six races from his six mounts on Friday, Gaffalione was voted Jockey of the Week for Nov. 8 through Nov. 14. 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.

Gaffalione's six wins from six mounts put him in the Churchill Downs record book. Not since 1907 has a jockey at Churchill Downs won with all six of their mounts. The streak began with trainer Mike Maker in the first and second races when Gaffalione won with Not That Serious (paying $8.80) and Jazzy Lady ($4.40). In race three he rode for trainer Rodolphe Brisset aboard Cousteau ($4.80). With no mount in the fourth, he continued his streak in the fifth race on Megan's Clara ($4.60) for trainer Joe Sharp and Candy Tycoon ($10.80) in the sixth race for Norm Casse. He finished the day with Sarah Harper ($3.00) for trainer Ron Moquett in the seventh race. His mounts in races eight and nine were scratched.

Speaking to the Churchill Downs publicity department after his historic day, Gaffalione said: “I was joking with the guys in the room that I wanted to ride one more and get the record. It was a really good day at the track.”

Gaffalione extended his win streak into Saturday with a victory in the first race aboard Alberta Sun for trainer Mike Maker. He also won the fourth race with Absolute Love for trainer Joe Sharp and finished the weekend on Sunday on a winning note aboard Fast and Flirty in the ninth race for trainer Brendan Walsh. Gaffalione now sits atop the Churchill standings tied with Mitchell Murrill with 13 wins. He has won every leading rider title at Churchill since 2020 spring.

Gaffalione's stats for the week were 32-10-7-2 and total purses of $592,265.

After the Churchill Downs meet ends on Nov. 28, Gaffalione, the 2015 Eclipse Award Outstanding Apprentice, heads back home to Gulfstream Park to ride their four-month Championship Meet that begins Dec. 3. He rode seven winners there on July 4, 2017.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were John R. Davila, Jr. with a 50 percent win rate, Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. who tied with Gaffalione for total number of wins, Joel Rosario who led all jockeys in purse earnings and Andrew Wolfsont who won the Artie Schiller Stakes at Aqueduct on longshot Mandate.

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