Gunnevera leaves Zayas with the right impression
MIAMI – Aside from trainer Antonio Sano, nobody knows the Breeders’ Cup Classic-bound Gunnevera any better than jockey Edgard Zayas.
Zayas has been Gunnevera’s regular workout rider throughout much of his career. He’s also been aboard him five times in the afternoon, winning twice while also guiding the son of Dialed In to second-place finishes in two of the sport’s most prestigious events, the Travers in 2017 and the Woodward earlier this summer at Saratoga.
Zayas was in his regular seat Saturday morning at Gulfstream Park West where Gunnevera turned in his second of four scheduled works prior to the Classic, five furlongs in company with regular workmate Cometin in 1:01.03. The move had the usually reserved Zayas quietly excited about the manner in which Gunnevera is coming into the biggest race of the year.
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“I think he’s as good as, if not better, now coming into this race than he was going into the Woodward or the Breeders’ Cup last year,” said Zayas, who rode five winners over the weekend and sits atop the standings during the early stages of the Gulfstream Park West meeting. “I mean, he’s never a horse who’s going to wow you or work lights out. But he was definitely much better today in company than he was by himself last week.”
Zayas said he thinks the relatively light schedule Gunnevera has kept since his eighth-place finish in the Dubai World Cup on March 31 is a big plus coming into the Classic.
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“He just feels good, he is in great condition right now,” said Zayas. “Coming into the stretch, he just took off once he switched leads, I felt like he was really there when I asked him. And his gallop-out, like always, was amazing. Galloping out six furlongs in 1:13 over this track, it doesn’t get much better than that. I think the fact they gave him all that time off after Dubai and again after his last race is probably responsible for that.”
