Tyler Gaffalione | Horse Racing Free Tips

Gaffalione, Asmussen Capture September Meet Titles At Churchill Downs

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione has been riding at Churchill Downs since the 2018 Fall Meet and, at the start of racing on Sunday for closing day of the September Meet, the 26-year-old Florida-native has already secured his third leading rider title of his young career.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen held an insurmountable lead, 11 wins to 7 over Brad Cox in the trainer standings, while owner Richard Rigney will battle for the title Sunday amongst a flurry of pursuers.

Gaffalione, who began riding fulltime at Churchill Downs six meets ago, began Sunday eight wins in front of Ricardo Santana Jr., 20-12. Represented by Florida-based agent Matt Muzikar, Gaffalione plans to ride at Keeneland for the next three weeks before the Churchill Downs Fall Meet. This was Gaffalione's second leading rider title in the month of September. He also won the crown at the six-day Kentucky Downs meet.

“It's pretty awesome having the leading title associated with you,” Gaffalione said. “It's been a short but fun meet. I'm very thankful for all of the opportunities that were given to me.”

In the trainer standings, Cox held the early lead over Asmussen following a six-win Kentucky Derby Week but Asmussen took over the proceedings when the September Meet restarted Sept. 17. This is Asmussen's record-extending 24th leading trainer title beneath the historic Twin Spires.

In the owner's standings, Rigney's Rigney Racing was in a tie atop the rankings at the start of Sunday's 10-race program with Gary and Mary West. Rigney had two entries in Races 3 and 10 while the Wests did not have any entered. Three ownership groups with two wins have the opportunity to tie Rigney and the Wests: Albaugh Family Stables (one entry, Race 1); Allied Racing Stable (one entry, Race 9); and Juddmonte Farm (one entry, Race 4).

Sunday's card at Churchill Downs had a first post of 12:45 p.m. There were mandatory payouts in all wagers but no carryovers as the Single 6 Jackpot was hit twice in the last two racing days. Following Sunday's program, racing in the Commonwealth will move to Keeneland from Oct. 2-24.

The Churchill Downs Fall Meet will run from Oct. 25-Nov. 29. There will be a two-day break on Nov. 6-7 for the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland. For more information, visit www.churchilldowns.com.

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Runhappy Meet at Kentucky Downs Generates Record Handle

The Runhappy meet at Kentucky Downs, which concluded Wednesday, Sept. 16, saw record betting handle across the six days of live racing that totaled $59,828,44 for a total of 62 races (average per race $964,975), including $9,487,705 on the final day. The previous record of $41,239,699 (average $824,794) was set in 2019.

Even with a modest reduction in prize money owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and a two-month absence of revenue from historical racing machines, a record total of $12,337,000 was paid out over the course of the meet, bettering last year’s $11,520,380.

A perennial leader among U.S. tracks in number of starters per race, Kentucky Downs averaged 9.98 for the just-concluded season, a decline from last year’s astonishing 11.26. The 16 black-type races staged at the meet drew an average of 10.25 runners, including 11.17 for the six sprint stakes. Nine first-level allowance races averaged 11.18 horses, while non-claiming maiden races averaged 10.33 runners.

The meet did not come off completely glitch-free. The fifth race on the opening day of the meet Sept. 7 was declared a no-contest when a gate malfunction saw the gates open with two horses left to load and several others unprepared for the start. On Wednesday’s closing card, officials initially posted the incorrect order of finish for race three, but corrected the mistake prior to the race being declared official. And the track made use of Equibase’s Gmax timing and tracking systems, resulting in times that were uniformly faster from past meets. The track attributed this to “different and more standard starting positions based on GPS measurements,” resulting in race times that varied “significantly.”

“We can’t thank the horsemen and the horseplayers enough for their support this meet,” said Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs’ senior vice president and general manager. “The numbers speak for themselves. We appreciate the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission giving us an additional day this year, and the horsemen took full advantage of it. We had some mishaps and glitches, and each will be scrutinized whether they resulted from human error or were beyond our control. Through it all, our racing was spectacular, which is a credit to our owners, trainers and jockeys and to which bettors across the country enthusiastically responded.

He continued, “As far as times and course records, we are going to study the data before making a final determination. But in all likelihood, 2020 will become the baseline year going forward as far as course records. With any new technology, there is a learning curve and hiccups. But we believe the new system is a big step toward addressing the challenges of timing such a unique course as Kentucky Downs.”

Tyler Gaffalione was the meet’s leading rider with 11 victories, while Mike Maker won a record fifth title with eight winners. His client Three Diamonds Farm was represented by four winners.

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Geroux Hoping To Ride Momentum From ‘Amazing’ Derby Week To Churchill Riding Title

It was a monumental Kentucky Derby week for jockey Florent Geroux whose seven victories, including four graded stakes wins, vaulted him to a tie atop the Churchill Downs jockey standings with Tyler Gaffalione as the 14-day meet resumed Thursday.

“This year has been rough for everyone in the world,” said Geroux, who notched five wins on Kentucky Oaks Day. “Just being here to have the Derby, even if it was in September, with no spectators, was amazing. Because at the beginning of the year, when everyone was staying at home, you thought that was pretty much impossible… it turned out to be an amazing week.”

Geroux's swift start to the September Meet included a 15-1 upset victory with Shedaresthedevil in the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI). In the race prior, the $500,000 La Troienne presented by Oak Grove Racing and Gaming (GI), Geroux bested seven rivals aboard champion Monomoy Girl. His day was capped off with a rail-skimming rally aboard Diamond Oops in the $250,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint presented by Sysco (GII).

“It was an amazing day but, at the end of the day, I wasn't pleased knowing Mundaye Call got beat in the Eight Belles as the even-money favorite,” Geroux said.

In total, Geroux's mounts banked $1,843,419 in purse money during the supercharged Kentucky Derby Week of races. Geroux and Gaffalione held a three-win cushion over Ricardo Santana Jr. in the riding standings. September Meet's defending champion, Corey Lanerie, scored a trio of wins on Kentucky Derby week.

In the trainer standings, Brad Cox won six races with 13 starters and held a two-win margin over Mike Maker. Albaugh Family Stables, G. Watts Humphrey Jr. and Lothenbach Stables are tied in the owner's race with two wins each.

Thursday's nine-race card at Churchill Downs had a first post of 12:45 p.m.

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Gaffalione, Maker, Three Diamonds Farm Claim Meet Titles At Kentucky Downs

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione and owner Three Diamonds Farm earned their first meet titles at Kentucky Downs, with Mike Maker — who trains for Three Diamonds and frequently uses Gaffalione — winning a record fifth crown at America's most unique race meet in Franklin, Ky.

Wagering on the final day of the six-date meet totaled $9,487,705 on the 10-race card. That brought totaling wagering over the meet's 62 races (with another race ruled a no-contest) to $59,828,444, smashing last year's record $41,239,699 over 50 races and five days.

The RUNHAPPY Meet at Kentucky Downs paid out $12,337,000 in purses to horse owners.

Gaffalione earned his first Kentucky Downs riding title with 11 victories at the six-date meet that concluded Wednesday. That was five wins more than two-time defending titlist Jose Ortiz and his brother, reigning Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz.

Gaffalione ended the meet with a bang, his three wins Wednesday capped by Guildsman's victory in the Grade 3 Franklin-Simpson Stakes in his final mount of the meet.

“This was incredible. This is such a fun place to ride,” said Gaffalione, the 2015 Eclipse Award-winning apprentice jockey. “I always enjoy coming here every year. All the credit goes to my agent (Matt Muzikar). He's really done a great job getting ready for this meet. He told me we were really loaded. I just had to show up and get the job done. A lot of credit goes to all the horsemen who got the horses ready. It was a lot of fun. Hopefully we can do it again next year.”

Maker, already the track's all-time win leader, earned a record fifth meet training crown with eight victories out of a meet-high 56 starters, including four wins last Saturday. That nipped Wesley Ward's seven wins out of 31 starts, denying Ward his own fifth title.

Owner Kirk Wycoff's Three Diamonds Farm earned its first Kentucky Downs owners title with four wins, all trained by Maker.

“It was a good meet, deep and competitive,” Maker said. “Like everything else, wish we'd won a few more but that's racing. Always fun to come here and to do well. We have so many turf horses. It's nice that when we can get an abundance of them in on any given day and know we're coming over here live.”

Maker acknowledged his biggest disappointment was favored Zulu Alpha finishing a rallying third in defense of last year's triumph in the $1 million Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup, which was won by Zulu Alpha's nemesis and 2018 winner Arklow. Both horses now are being pointed to the $4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

Maker now has won 63 races in his career at Kentucky Downs. His four-year streak of meet titles ended last year when his three wins were one shy of sharing the crown with Ward, Joe Sharp and Ian Wilkes. But even last year, when he had a track-record 15 seconds, he won the money title at $1.4 million.

Noting that the seconds and thirds can be lucrative at Kentucky Downs, Maker said, “For sure. Pays a lot of bills.”

This year Maker finished fourth in money ($823,321), with that title won by four-time reigning Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown at $980,375. Until this meet, Brown had run only one horse at Kentucky Downs.

Gaffalione, who turned 26 on Sept. 12, also earned the jockey money title at $1,619,461, including capturing the $500,000, Grade 3 Real Solution Ladies Sprint on Got Stormy and the $500,000 The Mint Juvenile Fillies on Plum Ali. He won at least one race on five of the meet's six days.

“We always want to be leading rider, but the main thing is they give away so much money so you try to get the money title here more than anything,” Gaffalione said. “But it's always great to get as many wins as possible. Great venue, great racing here. Lot of class horses showed up. Plum Ali really stands out. Got Stormy ran huge. The other day Miss J McKay (second in Tuesday's Music City at 11-1) ran a bang-up race in finishing second. It's been a great meet.”

Kentucky Downs' top six betting days
$17,437,731 — Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020
$11,321,492 — Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019
$10,039,008 — Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018
$9,487,705 — Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020
$8,983,981 — Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020
$8,950,973 — Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020

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