HALLANDALE BEACH - Tyler Gaffalione continued his recent hot hand riding four winners on Friday’s 10-race card at Gulfstream Park.

    Gaffalione, the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice of 2015 born and raised in nearby Davie, won four of the first six races aboard Monte Ne ($3) in the first, Makisupa ($3.60) in the third, Battalion ($9.40) in the fifth and Uncaptured Soldier ($7.20) in the sixth. “I had a lot of confidence coming into today. My agent always does a great job. He’s lined up some great mounts for me, especially this week,” Gaffalione said. “Hopefully we can keep it going.”

    Represented by agent Matt Muzikar, Gaffalione ranked fourth during last winter’s Championship Meet with 67 wins. He missed the first four days of this year’s meet and was off to a 3-for-32 start before winning twice with seven mounts on Thursday.

    “There’s an adjustment period coming from Churchill and Keeneland. It’s a much different configuration of the track,” Gaffalione said. “It’s just a matter of getting comfortable again.”

    Gaffalione came into the 2020-2021 Championship Meet after having swept all five major meets in Kentucky, most recently Churchill Downs’ fall stand that ended Nov. 29. He ranks second to two-time reigning Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. among all North American jockeys in wins this year and will soon pass his personal single-season record for purse earnings of nearly $15.2 million set in 2019.

            “It’s amazing. It’s truly a blessing,” Gaffalione said. “My agent, he does such a great job. I owe him all the credit. He makes my job so much easier. We’ve had a great year and it’s been a lot of fun.”

Quarky Spoils Pay Any Price’s Swan Song in Friday Finale

    Ballybrit Stable’s Quarky ($9.80) saved ground early and found room along the rail once straightened for home to sneak past pace-setting favorite Pay Any Price, who was making the final start of his distinguished career, and capture Friday’s 10th race. Ridden by Luis Saez for trainer Michael Dini, Quarky ran five furlongs in :56.03 seconds over a firm turf course. Pay Any Price held on by a neck for second over late-running Kaufy Bean.

    Trained by Georgina Baxter, Pay Any Price was sent off as the 6-5 favorite in a field of 12 turf sprinters. Due to age restrictions, the 10-year-old gelding will be ineligible to race at Gulfstream Park next year.

    Pay Any Price has won 19 of 34 starts and more than $718,000 in purse earnings, including nine stakes. The son of Wildcat Heir set a North American and record for five furlongs on turf when winning the 2017 Silks Run in :53.61 seconds. Friday’s race was his first for since he won the Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint for the third consecutive year on July 5. Other stakes wins came in the 2019 Crystal River and Silks Run, 2018 Tamiami and Crystal River, 2017 Turf Dash and Claiming Crown Canterbury. comments powered by Disqus