Zayas Rides Four GP Winners on Friday; Nicks Clinches Trainers' Title

 

By Jim  Freer

Friday, Oct.  2 — Edgard Zayas continued his comeback from an injury by riding four winners and Ralph Nicks clinched  the summer meet trainer’s  title on Friday at Gulfstream Park.

The summer meet will conclude  on  Saturday, with six stakes races including the  third and final legs in the four divisions of the Florida Sire Stakes Series.

There will be mandatory full payouts on  the Rainbow 6,  Pick  5 and the Super High  5 on  the 12th and final race. The Rainbow 6 will have a  carryover of $11,328. It is likely that $100,000 or more will  be bet on the Rainbow 6 on  Saturday. It is a  20-cents only per combination bet on the last six races

Zayas (above photo) missed six weeks  of the three-month summer meet after he  broke his left collarbone in a spill on  July 17.  Friday’s  wins gave him  32.for the meet. He is in  fifth place.

Tyler Gaffalione, who has clinched the jockeys’ title, rode two winners–giving him 80 for the meet.

Zayas led jockeys in  wins at last year’s Gulfstream summer meet and at last year’s Gulfstream Park West meet at Calder.

The GP West meet will begin this coming Wednesday and will have 40 race days through Nov.29.   It likely will  have an exciting  jockeys’  race between Gaffalione and Zayas.

Gaffalione has a  five-pound apprentice  allowance for all races except stakes.  Our research indicates he will lose his  “bug” status after Oct. 10–the first anniversary of his fifth victory.

Some  jockeys  lose numerous mounts after they no longer have their apprentice  allowance.  But we are among those  who expect that most trainers who are using the 21-year old  Gaffalione will stay with him, based on the  solid skills he has shown.  He is  a South  Florida native and the son of retired jockey Steven Gaffalione.

One safe bet is that Nicks will  continue to use Gaffalione as a go-to  rider.

Nicks saddled  one winner on  Friday.  He  has 34 summer meet wins, and Antonio Sano is second with 29.  Sano has three horses running Saturday and thus  cannot  catch  Nicks  who  has six entrants on Saturday.

Gaffalione is scheduled to ride  four of the six Nicks-trained horses.

 

Zayas Rides  Four GP Winners  on  Friday;  Nicks Clinches Trainers' Title