Trainer Bennett closing in on 3,500 wins

OLDSMAR, Fla. – When Roma’s Sister rallied inside through the late stages of Sunday’s opener to upset the heavily favored Fiesta Rose, the win was emblematic of trainer Gerald Bennett’s approach to life and training horses.

“I hate to lose, and I love to upset the status quo,” Bennett quipped not long ago.

Bennett had his first victory as a trainer more than 38 years ago and still is going strong at 71. At an age when many are worried about tee times and bridge games at the senior center, the Canadian native has his own plan for the golden years – to train horses and send out winners.

Through Sunday, Bennett found himself atop the local trainer standings with 14 wins. His runners are winning at better than a 20 percent clip. While the veteran has raced at more than 30 different tracks in the U.S. and Canada, he considers the Tampa area to be his home base. He bought a home here several years ago, and it’s no secret winning the training title here would carry a special significance to Bennett and the folks who make up his organization.

The horseman also is coming up on another milestone. He is just 21 wins short of the 3,500 mark in races won. He is second all time in races won by a Canadian-born trainer behind the great Frank H. Merrill Jr. (3,968 wins).

Kathleen O’Connell isn’t far back in the battle for the top spot with 10 wins at the current meeting, and Eoin Harty, who is winning at a 30 percent rate, is tied with Chad Stewart and Jamie Ness with eight victories.

The rider’s race essentially is a battle for second right now as Antonio Gallardo shows no sign of slowing his record pace for races won.

Gallardo, who hung up another four-bagger Friday, just keeps on winning. Through Sunday’s program, the Spaniard had 50 wins, double the second-place Daniel Centeno’s 25 tallies, with Ronnie Allen Jr. third in the standings with 19 wins. Gallardo also is in the top five in the country in races won in 2015.