Geroux gets off to fast start at Oaklawn meet

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Jockey Florent Geroux could not have gotten off to a better start at Oaklawn Park.

He has decided to winter at the track, and won the new meet’s first Kentucky Derby points race on opening day with Caddo River and also accounted for the first week’s final feature with Hidden Scroll.

The horses were among seven winners Geroux rode to close out opening weekend tied atop the standings with Oaklawn’s perennial leading rider Ricardo Santana Jr. The success also has Geroux sitting second in wins in North America in 2021.

“I’m excited about the meet,” said Geroux, a 34-year-old native of France. “It’s a new challenge. It’s something new.”

Geroux has moved his tack here from Fair Grounds for a couple of reasons. For one, he’s been regularly working some of the young horses trainer Brad Cox plans to start at Oaklawn.

“I know pretty much every single one of them,” Geroux said.

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They include Caddo River, who romped by more than 10 lengths in the Smarty Jones last Friday at Oaklawn to pick up 10 points for the Kentucky Derby.

“He’s definitely one of those horses I’m looking forward to for the meet,” Geroux said. “I think he’s a special horse. He’s a very kind horse – and very fast.”

Geroux said another reason to base here was to be in one spot because of the ongoing pandemic.

“With the COVID restrictions, it makes it very hard to travel back and forth,” he said.

Geroux also rides the champion Monomoy Girl, who is scheduled to launch her season in the track’s Grade 3, $250,000 Bayakoa on Feb. 15, according to Cox.

“She’s one of the main reasons we’re going to ride at Oaklawn,” Geroux said.

Geroux has ridden Monomoy Girl in all of her starts except her debut. She’s earned more than $4.4 million, and her list of 10 stakes wins includes two Breeders’ Cup Distaff victories and a Kentucky Oaks.

“She’s truly gifted,” Geroux said. “And she has a great mentality. She’s very kind. Very quiet all the time around the barn. Even on race day. She’s just a very smart mare.”

Geroux added another Kentucky Oaks to his résumé last year with Shedaresthedevil.

“The filly, she was all heart,” he said of Shedaresthedevil. “That was a really tough field – Swiss Skydiver and Gamine in there. It was a big race – of course a huge race for us. I can’t wait to ride Shedaresthedevil again this year.”

Cox trains Shedaresthedevil, and said race plans have yet to be determined for her. She is currently galloping at Oaklawn.

“It’s too early to say, not having her back on the work tab,” he said. “She’s yet to breeze this year.”

Hidden Scroll is another horse Geroux has to look forward to in 2021. He won a conditioned allowance sprint Sunday in his first start for new owner Marc Detampel and new trainer Cox.

“I thought he ran really well the other day,” Cox said. “He overcame some traffic, mud in his face. Once he got clear, he was able to run on. He’s a very talented horse. He’s shown that from the start of his career.”

Cox said plans are to be determined for Hidden Scroll.

“I think right now, we’ll keep him around one turn,” he said. “In the short term, we’ll keep him at the sprint distance at Oaklawn. We’ll see what comes up over the next few months. I wouldn’t be in a big, big hurry to run back. We’ll give him plenty of time to recover from that effort. He seems to be a horse that runs well fresh.”

Geroux will see action in Friday’s allowance feature with another talented runner for Cox named The Sound. He also has an additional allowance mount on the card for the barn in the fourth, with Lady Rocket.

Geroux has won more than 1,700 races in North America since moving his tack from France in 2007. His mounts, which have included Horse of the Year Gun Runner, have earned more than $109 million.