Gear Jockey doing what he does best in Gulfstream Turf Sprint

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – After holding his own with the best grass sprinters in the world in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, Gear Jockey should find the competition much more to his liking when he opens his 2022 campaign in Saturday’s Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint, which shares top billing on an attractive 12-race program with the Ladies’ Turf Sprint. Both events offer a $100,000 purse and will contested at five furlongs.

It took trainer Rusty Arnold a little while before he figured out that sprinting on turf was what Gear Jockey does best. Earlier in his career, Gear Jockey tried a little bit of everything. He finished third, beaten just a length by winner Structor, going a mile as a maiden in the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Several months later, he forced the pace before finishing a tiring eighth over the main track here in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth. After Gear Jockey finally won a maiden race in January 2021 and an entry-level allowance race around two turns on grass last April, Arnold turned him back to 5 1/2 furlongs last summer at Saratoga.

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Gear Jockey won his turf sprint debut in that second-level allowance dash, returned over the same course to finish third in the Grade 3 Troy, and became a graded stakes winner by rallying to a 2 1/2-length triumph over Diamond Oops in the Grade 3 Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs in September.

“He started out his 4-year-old season as a maiden and he got good,” said Arnold, who trains the homebred Gear Jockey for Calumet Farm. “During the year we figured out what he probably wanted to do – be a sprinter instead of going long.”

His win at Kentucky Downs earned Gear Jockey a berth in the five-furlong Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar. Gear Jockey turned in an even effort behind wire-to-wire winner Golden Pal, racing forwardly from the outset before checking home sixth, 5 1/4 lengths.

“The race was fine,” said Arnold. “He broke good and got in a good spot. I’m not sure he’s a perfect five-furlong horse. His best races have been from five and one-half to three-quarters. But he had a great year, he’s freshened up good, and he’s ready to go. His last two works were very good.”

Gear Jockey will likely go postward a solid favorite in the Turf Sprint, which drew a field of only seven with two of the top nominees, Diamond Oops and Carotari, not entering.

The field does include multiple stakes winner Warrior’s Pride, who returns off a six-month hiatus for trainer Antonio Cioffi; the Grade 3-placed turf sprint specialist Omaha City; and Belgrano, who finished third after contesting the pace last month going a mile in the Grade 3 Tropical Turf.

Breakthrough, Yes I Am Free, and Richy complete the field.

Ladies’ Turf Sprint

The Ladies’ Turf Sprint also lured a field of only seven and features a rematch between Miss J McKay and Miss Auramet, the first- and sixth-place finishers in the Abundantia here on Dec. 31.

Miss J McKay rallied to a 1 1/2-length victory in the Abundantia despite being forced wide and jostled by Miss Auramet at the top of the stretch. Miss J McKay unleashed a powerful closing surge down the middle of the course to win going away as much the best. The victory was the second in a row for the Christophe Clement-trained Miss J McKay, who used similar tactics to defeat allowance company at Aqueduct five weeks earlier.

Miss Auramet, easy winner of an allowance sprint on turf here Dec. 5, was the victim of an even more eventful trip as the 7-5 favorite in the Abundantia. She broke a bit tardily and was rushed up into traffic and steadied midway down the backstretch. Miss Auramet fanned wide off the turn while attempting to rally, bumping with Miss J McKay at the top of the stretch before flattening out through the final furlong and checking home 3 1/4 lengths behind the winner.

Guardian Moon will get a class check when she puts her unblemished record on the line in the Ladies’ Turf Sprint. Guardian Moon has started just twice, winning a maiden race during the summer of 2020 at Saratoga and a first-level allowance at Aqueduct last April. She went postward the favorite in both starts, which were restricted to New York-breds. Guardian Moon has been working over the main track at Palm Meadows since arriving in South Florida with trainer Jorge Abreu early this winter.