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‘On Top Of The World’: Gaffalione Returns To Gulfstream A Winner In Wait A While

Welcome home, Tyler Gaffalione.

Following another successful sojourn to Kentucky and New York in the summer and fall, the 27-year-old native of nearby Davie, Fla. celebrated his return to Gulfstream Park by guiding Lia Marina to a half-length victory in Friday's $75,000 Wait a While on Opening Day of the 2021-22 Championship Meet.

The eighth running of the one-mile Wait a While for 2-year-old fillies on turf was the first of 76 stakes, 37 graded, worth $14.26 million during the 87-day Championship Meet that runs through April 3.

Gaffalione was greeted with cheers and applause when he returned to the winner's circle aboard Lia Marina ($7.60), the narrow second choice in a field of nine behind European import Sunstrike, making her U.S. debut.

“It's so nice. I grew up here. It's one of the first tracks I've ever been to,” Gaffalione said. “Coming back here and winning races, it's a feeling like no other. I feel on top of the world.”

The Eclipse Award-winning apprentice of 2015, represented by agent Matt Muzikar, Gaffalione won the fall meet at Keeneland, his fourth career title there, and swept all four meets this year at Churchill Downs including the fall meet that immediately preceded Gulfstream. He was also second at Kentucky Downs, third at Keeneland spring and sixth at Saratoga.

“I've just been so blessed. I've got a great team around me,” Gaffalione said. “My family is great support and all the owners and trainers have given me such huge opportunities. I just feel so blessed to be in the position I'm in.”

Breaking from outside all but one horse, Gaffalione positioned Lia Marina in second, just off the right hip of pacesetter Gun Boat, with Sister Lou Ann poised to their outside through a quarter-mile in 21.95 seconds and a half in 45.53. Lia Marina forged a short lead exiting the far turn after six furlongs in 1:09.48 with Sister Lou Ann matching strides, but Lia Marina never let the filly get by the length of the stretch to win in 1:33.06 over a firm turf course.

Gun Boat was third, three-quarters of a length behind Sister Lou Ann, followed by Lemieux, Last Leaf, Sunstrike, Myfavoritedaughter, High Arabian and Palmach.

“There was a lot of speed on form, but my filly was coming out of sprints so we didn't want to take much away from her,” Gaffalione said. “We just wanted to get her over, save some ground and get some cover. She relaxed good around there and when I called on her she responded nicely.”

Gaffalione ranked second with $3.5 million in purse earnings and third with 95 wins during the 2020-21 Championship Meet behind Irad Ortiz Jr.'s record total of 140. Among Gaffalione's victories were six graded-stakes – the Mr. Prospector (G3), Tropical Turf (G3), W.L. McKnight (G3), Marshua's River (G3), Kitten's Joy (G3) and Honey Fox (G3).

A winner of more than 1,700 career races, Gaffalione ranks fourth in North America in victories this year behind Ortiz Jr., Paco Lopez and Luis Saez, all of whom are Gulfstream winter regulars.

“We always want to be top three. We're always fighting to be leading rider,” Gaffalione said. “It's a very competitive meet, but we just come out here every day and give it our best.”

The post ‘On Top Of The World’: Gaffalione Returns To Gulfstream A Winner In Wait A While appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Australian Jockey Chris Caserta Feared Drowned After Late-Night Swim

Queensland jockey Chris Caserta has been presumed dead after disappearing during a late-night swim off Australia's Gold Coast.

The 26-year-old rider had gone into the water with apprentice Amy Graham when they got into difficulties after being caught in a rip tide at the Surfers Paradise beach. Bystanders rushed to their aid but only Graham managed to scramble back to the shore.

Graham, 25, told her boss, trainer John Zielke, in a text message reported by Racenet: “I thought I was going to die, I tried my best to save him, keep him calm and breathe without struggling myself. But we just kept getting dunked over and over and over again. It happened so fast, we just got dragged out.

“We didn't even go that far but the ocean took us out … I didn't even want to go in but I couldn't let him go in alone.”

Caserta could not be found after police launched a search and rescue mission by air, sea and land lasting several hours.

“Unfortunately I had the heartbreaking job of telling Chris's parents that this is not a search-and-rescue mission for Chris, we're searching for Chris's body as the timeframe for survival has passed,” said senior sergeant Jay Notaro of Queensland Water Police at a media conference posted by 7News.

“It is an absolute tragedy at any time but particularly just before Christmas. On behalf of the Queensland Police Service would like to pass on our sincere condolences for his family, friends and colleagues in the racing industry.

“We'll continue to search and our goal is to return Chris to his family. It is a timely reminder to swim on patrolled beaches during patrolled times which are currently 8am to 5pm. By not doing so you are putting your own life at risk and also putting the lives at risk of those people who try and rescue you.”

Caserta moved to Queensland from Victoria in December last year. He had ridden five winners this season out of a career total of 154 victories from 2,181 rides since his first ride in 2013.

Gold Coast Turf Club CEO Steve Lines said the news of the jockey's disappearance had deeply affected the racing community. “First and foremost, our heart goes out to Chris' family and the entire racing community as the search continues,” said Lines.

“The Gold Coast Turf Club is working with Racing Queensland to implement welfare support mechanisms for Chris' family, friends and industry participants during this tough time.”

This story was reprinted with permission by Horse Racing Planet. Find the original piece and more content here.

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EIP Graduate Lindsay Schultz Hoping To Launch Her Training Career At Oaklawn

Roughly 20 months after Reeve McGaughey recorded his first career training victory at Oaklawn, another former assistant under Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey will try to do the same during the 2021-2022 meeting that began Friday.

Lindsay Schultz, 33, has the resume to find the winner's circle.

Schultz grew up riding hunter/jumpers in Connecticut and “fell into horse racing straight away” attending the University of Louisville's Equine Industry Program with future trainers Jason Barkley, Will VanMeter and Bentley Combs. Schultz's college roommate is another EIP graduate, Liz Crow, now a noted bloodstock agent, sales consignor and racing manager. Crow is also Schultz's closest friend.

“She had a 4.0 GPA and was way smarter than I was,” Crow said Thursday afternoon. “I think she's always wanted to train, but she's kind of taken the route of wanting to learn everything before she went out on her own. I guess it's not too late to go out on your own at 33. I feel like some people dive into it a little earlier, I guess.”

After graduating from Louisville in 2010, Schultz traveled the equine world through a two-year internship in Darley's Flying Start management training program, cut her teeth as a longtime assistant under Breeders' Cup-winning trainer Tom Proctor and managed famed Glen Hill Farm in Florida before going to work for McGaughey – Reeve McGaughey's father – in the fall of 2020.

Schultz decided earlier this year to go out on her own and landed at Oaklawn, where she has seven horses, including six for the ubiquitous Ten Strike Racing of founding partners Marshall Gramm and Arkansas native Clay Sanders. Ten Strike considers Oaklawn its home track.

“It's a new place for me, but, look, I've been here for three or four days and everyone's been so nice,” Schultz said after training hours last Saturday morning. “It seems pretty horse friendly. Definitely not without nerves, but I'm excited.”

Schultz has two scheduled starters Saturday at Oaklawn – Pepper Pike in the fifth race and Capture the Glory in the sixth race. Both horses are owned by Ten Strike, which, solely or in partnership, won 10 races last season at Oaklawn and campaigns millionaire multiple Grade 3 winner Warrior's Charge.

Schultz had a brief business relationship with Ten Strike in late 2017, but considers Capture the Glory her first true starter after the Scat Daddy gelding ran in a starter-allowance sprint Nov. 12 at Churchill Downs. Ten Strike offers fractional ownership from lower-level claimers like Capture the Glory to graded-stakes types like Warrior's Charge. Schultz met Gramm and Sanders through Crow, who is Ten Strike's racing manager.

“Marshall gave her the chance when she went out on her own, to help them,” Schultz said. “Marshall always said, 'Let me know when you're thinking about going out on your own.' He actually called me this summer and said, 'Well, are you going to do it? Are you not going to do it? What's going on?' I said if you can help me, let's do it.”

Schultz, on behalf of Ten Strike, began building her stable this fall through claims, taking Pepper Pike for $32,000 Oct. 14 at Keeneland and Capture the Glory for $10,000 Oct. 17 at Keeneland.

Asked her biggest takeaway learning the ropes under accomplished trainers like John Shirreffs during the Flying Start program, then Proctor and, ultimately, McGaughey, Schultz said: “Keeping it simple.”

“And trust your instincts,” Schultz said. “Tom would always say that to me.”

Schultz, who also walked hots for Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito at Saratoga while attending Louisville, is among five Oaklawn-based trainers with horses on the grounds for Ten Strike. The others are 2020 Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox, Barkley, Combs and Randy Matthews. While Crow bleeds purple and black – Ten Strike's stable colors – it's personal with Schultz. She was maid of honor in Crow's wedding and is godmother to Crow's 9-month-old daughter, Ella.

“Obviously, there's a little bit more,” Crow said. “She's like family. I'm definitely rooting for her. It's really exciting that she's getting started with Ten Strike because they're such a good ownership group. They've helped so many young people get started. That's kind of what they enjoy doing. They helped me get started, so it's kind of cool that they're helping her as well.”

After working under his father, Reeve McGaughey saddled his first career winner March 19, 2020, at Oaklawn. VanMeter, now retired from training, saddled his first career winner at the 2014 Oaklawn meeting.

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Joel Rosario Injures Rib In Aqueduct Fall, Could Miss Up To Three Weeks

Jockey Joel Rosario could miss up to three weeks after inuring a rib in a fall at Aqueduct on Dec. 2, reports bloodhorse.com. The year's leading rider by earnings, Rosario was unseated from his second-race mount Irish Constitution shortly after the wire. He took off the remainder of Thursday's mounts, and later went to the hospital when he experienced discomfort breathing.

Agent Ron Anderson suggested that opening day at Santa Anita Park on Dec. 26 could fall in line with Rosario's return to action.

“Those kind of things, usually it's a couple or three weeks, then you have to bite the bullet a little bit because you're in discomfort, anyway,” Anderson told bloodhorse.com.

Rosario had been booked to ride through the weekend at Aqueduct, including on the Bill Mott-trained Olympiad in the G1 Cigar Mile.