Gaffalione Closing In On Fall Meet Riding Title

With his win aboard Union Maiden in Wednesday’s seventh race, jockey Tyler Gaffalione recorded his 19^th victory of Keeneland’s Fall Meet to give him a seven-win edge over Florent Geroux with three days remaining in the season that concludes Saturday.

With a third riding title practically in his grasp – previous titles came at the 2018 Fall Meet and 2020 Summer Meet – Gaffalione is looking forward to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Nov. 6-7.

“I ride six for Mark Casse, two for Mike Maker – although I am not sure which ones – and (one) for Doug O’Neill in the Juvenile (Hot Rod Charlie),” Gaffalione said, listing the trainers of horses under Breeders’ Cup consideration.

Among the Casse six-pack is Gary Barber’s Got Stormy, who Gaffalione rode to victory in the Buffalo Trace Franklin County (G3) here on Oct. 9. She is being pointed to the $1 million Turf Sprint (G1) to be run Nov. 7.

Gaffalione, who has ridden in the past four Breeders’ Cups, is seeking his first victory in the World Championships. He was second in the Mile (G1) with Got Stormy at Santa Anita and with Chelsea Cloisters in the 2018 Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) at Churchill Downs.

Gaffalione’s other probable mounts for Casse are War of Will (Dirt Mile), March to the Arch (Mile), Gretzky the Great (Juvenile Turf), Dirty Dangle(Juvenile Turf Sprint) and Spanish Loveaffair (Juvenile Fillies Turf).