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Tyler Gaffalione’s 10 Victories Earn Jockey Of The Week Title

With 10 wins including a Grade 3 stakes, Tyler Gaffalione was voted Jockey of the Week for May 17 through May 23. The award, 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 950 active riders in the United States as well as retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

Riding at Churchill Downs, Gaffalione began the race week on Thursday with two victories, then two three-win days Friday and Saturday including the Grade 3 Winning Colors, culminating with two wins on Sunday. His 10 wins were for eight different trainers.

Trainer Greg Foley tapped Gaffalione to ride Sconsin for the first time in the Grade 3 Winning Colors for fillies and mares four-years-old and up going six furlongs on the main track. Sconsin broke from the rail in the field of five and comfortably tracked the leading trio of Rising Seas, Frank's Rockette and Tipsy Gal after a quarter mile. Gaffalione guided Sconsin to the outside on the turn and blew past those foes to draw off and win by 3-1/4 lengths in 1:08.80.

“Everything set up like we thought it would,” Gaffalione said. “The speed went on and set quick fractions. We were able to sit back and bide our time. When I put her out at the top of the lane she finished the job.”

The Winning Colors was Gaffalione's seventh graded stakes victory of the year.

Gaffalione, the 2015 Eclipse Award winner as Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, currently sits atop the jockey standings at Churchill Downs with 23 wins through May 23. His weekly statistics were 26-10-3-5 for a win rate of 38.4 percent and an in-the-money percentage of 69.2. He led all jockeys in purse earnings with $577,310.

Gaffalione out-polled Alex Birzer who recorded nine wins, Jose L. Ortiz with $306,378 in purse earnings, Jose Andres Guerrero with eight wins for the week and Mike Smith who won the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes.

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Monmouth: 44 Horses, 14 Jockeys Enter Six Races For Friday’s Opening Day Card

Sifting Sands, from the powerhouse Chad Brown stable, is among eight 3-year-olds (plus one main track only entrant) set to go in the $100,000 Jersey Derby that will serve as the feature race for opening day of Monmouth Park's 76th Thoroughbred season on Friday.

A total of 44 horses (plus one MTO) have been entered for the six-race twilight card, with a first race post time of 5 p.m.

With the New Jersey commission's enactment of the strictest whip rules in the country, allowing use of the crop only when needed for safety, Monmouth has been in the news for it's strict stance on jockey participation in the 2021 meet.

There are 14 jockeys named to ride on Friday's card, including: Jorge Panaijo, Luis M. Ocasio, Tomas B. Mejia, Luis R. Reyes, Christian J. Navarro, Jose C. Ferrer, Carlos J. Hernandez, Jomar Torres, Isaac Castillo, Jose Baez, Carlos Montalvo, Keiber J. Coa, Sean Gilpin, and Derbe Glass.

Three of the stakes entrants, including the MTO entry, do not currently have riders listed on Equibase.

The Jersey Derby, scheduled for a mile on the grass, will be contested for the 78th time. It's the oldest Derby in the United States, having first been run in 1864.

Trainers Kelly Breen (It's A Gamble), Gregg Sacco (It Can Be Done) and Jerry Hollendorfer (Riptide Rock) will look to get off to fast starts for the 53-day meet in the Jersey Derby as well.

Owned by Peter Brant, Sifting Sands will be making just his fourth career start in the Jersey Derby. The Irish-bred son of Dubawi made his last start in the Woodhaven Stakes at Aqueduct on April 21.

Monmouth Park will conduct live racing four straight days over the Memorial Day weekend. Post times on Saturdays, Sundays and special Monday holiday cards throughout the meet is 12:15 p.m.

The $100,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes at six furlongs headlines the Saturday card, with the $75,000 Politely Stakes serving as the Sunday feature. The Memorial Day card on Monday will be top by the $75,000 Spruce Fir for Jersey-breds.

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‘The Rule Is Not Changing’: Monmouth Threatens To Ban Jockeys Who Refuse Mounts On Opening Day

This Friday marks opening day at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, NJ, as well as the first time the new state-mandated whip rules will be in effect. These are the strictest whip rules in the United States, allowing jockeys to only use the crop for reasons of safety.

According to bloodhorse.com, Monmouth has threatened that jockeys who refuse mounts on Friday will not be allowed to ride at the track for the remainder of the 2021 meet.

“We are having a problem with guys who have been on the backstretch all monthlong working horses and have calls and are now they are saying they won't ride Friday but they will ride Saturday,” John Heims, director of racing and racing secretary at Monmouth, told bloodhorse.com. “We are not going to let people stick it to us and cost us money by canceling racing. If you feel unsafe Friday, how are you safe Saturday? If it's unsafe and you don't want to ride, I get it. No one is asking you to do something you are uncomfortable doing. The rule is not changing, so if you will not ride Friday since you believe it's unsafe, why would you ride any other day?”

Entries for Friday's card close Tuesday. Heim said he has 12 jockeys lined up to ride Friday, and that a trio of jockeys serving suspensions through Friday (Paco Lopez, Nik Juarez, and Ferrin Peterson) will not be affected by the ban.

Jockey Jose Riquelme Celebrates 1,000th Winner

Jose Riquelme, part of the jockey colony at Indiana Grand for the past five seasons, celebrated his 1,000th career win over the weekend. Born in Peru, Riquelme has been closing in on the milestone this spring.

“I'm very happy to get this milestone,” said Riquelme. “I want to thank all the trainers and owners along the way that have supported me and given me the opportunity to ride.”

Riquelme began his riding career in his native Peru at Hipodromo de Monterrico in Lima in 1992. He moved his tack to the United States in 2000 and has enjoyed success through several circuits including New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Louisiana. He has been riding the summer months in Indiana since 1997 and now calls Indiana home with his wife, Gregoria, and daughter, Nathalia, along with their son, Jose.

Riquelme rode the winter at Fair Grounds in New Orleans where he won 28 races and finished in the top 10 among the leading jockeys. With limited starts this season at Indiana Grand in the first month of action, he has already earned three wins in 12 starts to help push him over the milestone.

The biggest win for Riquelme came in 2015 aboard Hard Aces for trainer Larry Jones in the Louisiana Handicap at Fair Grounds. The multiple stakes winning jockey has earned in excess of $19 million during his career in the United States.

Riquelme was joined by his wife, Gregoria, and daughter, Nathalia, for the winner's circle presentation. Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing, helped honor Riquelme for his latest accomplishment.

The 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing is now in progress and continues through Monday, Nov. 8. Live racing is conducted at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m. A special Indiana Champions Day highlighting the state's top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses will be held Saturday, Oct. 30, beginning at noon. More information about the 2021 racing season is available at www.caesars.com/indiana-grand.

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