Neptune's Storm gets rider switch to Geroux for Del Mar Derby

DEL MAR, Calif. – Neptune’s Storm, the winner of two turf stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita in the spring, will have a new rider when he starts in the richest race of his career in Sunday’s Grade 2 Del Mar Derby.

Trainer Richard Baltas said over the weekend Florent Geroux will replace Drayden Van Dyke. Van Dyke is booked to ride Moody Jim, the attractive winner of a maiden race in his California debut on July 27 for trainer Jeff Mullins.

“He chose to ride Mullins,” Baltas said.

Geroux gains the mount on a leading prospect for the $250,000 Del Mar Derby, which is run at 1 1/8 miles on turf. Neptune’s Storm won consecutive turf stakes in the Singletary Stakes at a mile at Santa Anita on April 28 and Cinema Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on June 2 before finishing second by a neck to Kingly in the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on Aug. 4.

Neptune’s Storm and Kingly, trained by Bob Baffert, are leading contenders for the Del Mar Derby along with Nolde, who was beaten the narrowest of noses by Jasikan in his stakes debut in the Oceanside Stakes at a mile on July 17.

Jasikan is being held out of the Del Mar Derby by trainer John Sadler, who would like to keep the colt in races closer to a mile, he said over the weekend.