In a change announced at 1:52 p.m. this afternoon, Florent Geroux rather than Tyler Gaffalione will ride Doctor J Dub in today's seventh race at Saratoga Race Course.
A review of Equibase charts shows that the race would have been Gaffalione's first at the historic track in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He leads riders in wins at Gulfstream's summer meet with 34, followed by Emisael Jaramillo who has 18.
No reason was immediately announced for the change.
But it should be noted that Gaffalione on Thursday has seven mounts at Gulfstream, where first post is 1:15 p.m.
Geroux is among the most prominent jockeys at the Saratoga meet. He has ridden 16 graded stakes winners this year.
Doctor J Dub, also up from Gulfstream, is one of nine entrants in a 5 1/2-furlong turf allowance for New York-breds 3-year-olds and up. Scheduled post is 4:24 p.m. for the race on the outer turf course that is listed as firm
The race has a $78,000 purse and an optional claiming price of $40,000. Doctor J Dub is not in for a tag.
Jena Antonucci, a regular on the New York and Florida circuits, trains Doctor J Dub for Drawing Away Stable.
Doctor J Dub, a 6-year-old gelding, is coming into the race off the first stakes win of his career.
On July 2 at Gulfstream, Gaffalione rode Doctor J Dub as he took an early lead and held on to beat the filly Daring Kathy by a neck in the $75,000 Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint at five furlongs.
Doctor J Dub was winless in his previous ten starts, mostly allowance/optional claimers.
He won three claiming races in a row last October and November during the Gulfstream Park West meet at Calder.
Doctor J Dub was then trained by Carlo Vaccarezza, who lost him on Jan.1 when Drawing Away claimed him out of a race at Gulfstream.
Doctor J Dub has program number 7 and post 6. He will be inside two other horses with speed--likely favorite Asset Inflation in post 7 and Polar Axis in post 9. Summer Breezing and Wicked Freud are stalkers who could benefit from a speed duel.
--Jim Freer
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HorseRacing FLA staff