HorseRacingFLA Staff Report
Jockey Tyler Gaffalione celebrated the Fourth of July with his own brand of fireworks, riding seven winners Tuesday at Gulfstream Park.
Thoroughbred racing’s burgeoning star equaled the Gulfstream record held by Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey.
Gaffalione’s seven wins came on an 11-race card, while Bailey’s seven wins came on a 12-race card.
Bailey rode seven winners on the March 11, 1995 Florida Derby Day program, missing an eighth victory when he and Suave Prospect fell a nose short of beating Thunder Gulch in the Florida Derby (Grade 1).
The North American record for wins at one track on one day is nine, set by Eddie Castro on June 4, 2005 at Calder on a 13-race card.
Gaffalione, born six months after Bailey’s record-setting performance, won the first three races on Tuesday. Prices listed below are $2 win. His victories came for seven different trainers.
He won on board Break Away ($6.40) in the first race for Armando De la Cerda and on Poopsie Doopsie ($12.00) in the second for David Braddy.
In the third race, the $100,000 Martha Washington Stakes, Gaffalione won with Adorable Miss ($3.00) for Todd Pletcher.
Adorable Miss Wins the Martha Washington, July 4, 2017 at Gulfstream
General McGooby later won the co-feature Not Surprising Stakes, at one mile on turf for 3-year-old males. Gaffalione rode Bronson who came in second.
The 22-year-old native of Davie, Fla., added victories aboard Perfect Tay ($6.60) for Angel Rodriguez in the fifth and Sambrook Edge ($4.80) flor Victor Barbosa Jr. in the seventh,
Gaffalione’s sixth and seventh wins were on Insum Money ($9.80) for Ralph Nicks in the eighth and Stormin Charlotte ($6.40) for Saffie –Joseph Jr. in the ninth.
–Photo on home page is Gaffalione entering the winner’s circle with Stormin Charlotte.
On his other four mounts on the card, Gaffalione registered two second-place finishes and two third-place finishes. That included coming second in the tenth race and third in the eleventh race.
It was one of many days when agent Matt Muzikar had Gaffalione booked on a ride in every race.
“It is amazing,” Gaffalione said. “I grew up idolizing Jerry Bailey. I copied basically everything he did. Between him and my father, they’re my two biggest influences.”
His father Steve Gaffalione rode 827 winners during a career that spanned 1978-1998.
Gaffalione rode his first winner on his third career mount, scoring aboard Holdin Bullets at Gulfstream Sept. 7, 2014.
He went on to ride 217 winners in 2015 to earn the Eclipse Award as North America’s outstanding apprentice jockey.
Gaffalione went on to ride 208 winners in his first year as a journeyman in 2016 and has built on that success this year both at Gulfstream and in out-of-town stakes. He currently tops the 2017 national standings with 156 victories.
He led jockeys in wins with 98 at Gulfstream’s spring meet that ended June 30. Edgard Zayas finished second with 72 victories.
Gaffalione has 11 wins and is the leader after the first there days of the Gulfstream summer meet. He also has five second place and four third place finishes in 28 starts. Zayas and Miguel Vasquez are tied for second, each with four wins.
Tuesday Stakes Races
Mathis Stable LLC’s Adorable Miss made a victorious return to South Florida on Tuesday, running her record to 3-for-3 over Gulfstream Park’s turf course in the $100,000 Martha Washington Stakes under Gaffalione.
Trained by Pletcher, the daughter of Kitten’s Joy scored by three-quarters of a length over Katinka in the mile turf event for 3-year-old fillies. Fancy Kitten finished third.
Adorable Miss, whose only loss in four career races came in the $200,000 Penn Oaks at Penn National on June 3, is scheduled to be sold at the Fasig-Tipton Horse of Racing Age Sale on July 10 in Lexington, Ky.
Adorable Miss rated nicely alongside pacesetter Katinka into the stretch before drawing away to record her second stakes victory at Gulfstream, running the mile over a firm turf in 1:35.59.
At Gulfstream this year, Adorable Miss broke her maiden at first asking on Jan. 22 at 7 ½ furlongs on turf and won the Honey Ryder at 1 1/16 miles on turf om May 6.
Gaffalione’s bid for a record-breaking eighth victory aboard Bronson fell three-quarters of a length short when General McGooby ($22.00) held off the 6-5 favorite to win the $100,000 Not Surprising. It was the day’s tenth race.
Ridden by Ramsey Zimmerman, General McGooby led throughout the mile turf event for 3-year-olds to register his first stakes triumph. The son of General Quarters ran the distance in 1:34.65.
Trained by Lilli Kurtinecz, No Palla Stables’ General McGooby finished second behind Bronson in the 1 1/16-mile English Channel Stakes at Gulfstream on May 6 before finishing a disappointing fifth in an optional claiming allowance on June 15.
General McGooby set fractions of 23.89 seconds, 47.03 and 1:10.76 on his way to victory.
The Pletcher-trained Bronson finished 1 ½ lengths ahead of Coleman Rocky.
Photos courtesy of Gulfstream Park
