Gaffalione to head to Keeneland seeking Breeders' Cup mounts

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione will be branching out following Gulfstream Park’s spring-summer meet, which closes at the end of September. Gaffalione will be based at Keeneland for the fall meet, which runs Oct. 5-27, his agent, Matt Muzikar, said Wednesday. Last fall, Gaffalione shipped in for a few mounts at Keeneland.

“We’re trying to land some Breeders’ Cup horses,” Muzikar said. “We’re taking the best opportunities given to us, and we’ll see what happens from there.”

Gaffalione, who turned 24 on Wednesday, has spent some of his summer on the road. Despite the travels to such tracks as Del Mar, Saratoga, and Kentucky Downs, he’s second in the Gulfstream spring-summer meet standings through Wednesday.

“This year, we rode out of town more than usual,” Muzikar said. “More opportunities came about.”

Muzikar said Gaffalione is scheduled to ride Friday at Gulfstream, on Saturday at Belmont Park, and on Sunday at Gulfstream. Earlier this week, the rider was in action at Kentucky Downs, where last Saturday he guided Bigger Picture to a runner-up finish in the Grade 3, $750,000 Kentucky Turf Cup.

Later this year, Gaffalione will settle in for the championship meet at Gulfstream. Last season, he was third in the championship standings. Gaffalione won last year’s spring-summer title at Gulfstream.

Gaffalione launched his career in 2014 and was honored with the Eclipse Award as outstanding apprentice in 2015. Through Tuesday he had won 934 races from 5,471 mounts. Those mounts have earned more than $32 million. Gaffalione picked up his first Grade 1 win in May at Churchill Downs aboard Salty in the La Troienne.

During the current Gulfstream meet he won the Sugarloaf Key Handicap with Curlin’s Approval, who is a candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

Gaffalione’s mounts Friday at Gulfstream include Baroness Vontrappe, the probable favorite in a maiden special weight for fillies and mares at a mile on turf that goes as the fourth race. Ralph Nicks trains the daughter of Trappe Shot, who is coming off a runner-up finish at the same level June 15 at Gulfstream. Baroness Vontrappe races for Pegasus Stud.