Gaffalione matches his idol's record

Tyler Gaffalione said he grew up idolizing Jerry Bailey and basically tried to copy everything he did as a rider. On Tuesday, Gaffalione took copying Bailey to another level when he matched the Hall of Fame rider’s record from 22 years ago by becoming only the second jockey in track history to win seven races on a single card at Gulfstream Park.

Bailey won seven races on Florida Derby Day in March 1995. He fell a nose short in his quest for an eighth victory that afternoon when he was defeated aboard Suave Prospect by Thunder Gulch in the Florida Derby.

Gaffalione missed his opportunity to eclipse Bailey’s mark in Tuesday’s Not Surprising Stakes when his late rally aboard the favored Bronson fell just short of catching the pacesetting McGooby at the wire. Overall, Gaffalione posted 7 victories, 2 seconds, and 2 thirds from his 11 mounts on the Fourth of July card.

Gaffalione’s father, Steve, rode nearly 900 winners during a career that spanned from 1978-98. Gaffalione said Bailey and his father are his two biggest influences.

Gaffalione, whose agent is Matt Muzikar, has been an instant success since launching his career here during the summer of 2014. He won 217 races and an Eclipse Award as the nation’s top apprentice in 2015, and he signaled that life without the bug would not be an issue by winning four races on his first day without the apprentice allowance in October 2015.

Gaffalione, who rode his first Kentucky Derby this spring, won 208 races as a journeyman in 2016 and has gotten off to an even better start to the current year. His seven victories on Tuesday gave him 165 just past the midway point of the season, putting him atop the national standings, 14 victories in front of Irad Ortiz Jr.

Gaffalione dominated the Gulfstream spring meeting, which ended Saturday, and has been the first-call rider locally for trainer Todd Pletcher since the end of the championship session on April 2.

“He’s riding terrific,” said Pletcher, for whom Gaffalione won the Martha Washington Stakes on Tuesday aboard the odds-on Adorable Miss. “He just continues to develop and seems to be a very versatile rider. He rides the turf very well and appears to have a very bright future.”

Gaffalione decided last month to remain here this summer, although he does plan to spend a good deal of time riding out of town. He’ll be at Belmont Park on Saturday to ride Giuseppe the Great for trainer Nick Zito in the Grade 3 Dwyer.

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◗ Friday’s main event is a $43,000 optional-claiming race on turf that drew a field of eight older horses, including one main-track-only entrant. The well-matched lineup is led by Completely Bonkers, who won at the same condition two starts back; Charlie Mops, exiting a couple of frustrating second-place finishes on grass; the Grade 3 placed Bashart; and Blue Harbor, who undoubtedly will get plenty of mutuel support with Gaffalione taking the call.