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He knows what he likes, what he doesn't like.'' Not that there's anything wrong with staying put.Įxplaining why he stuck with Gaffalione, trainer Mark Casse said, ''Well, he knows him extremely well. Only two jockeys get to pick up where they left off in the Derby - Tyler Gaffalione on War of Will and Julian Pimentel on Win Win Win. ''When you have somebody like that asking, it gives you a nice feeling that you have a shot.'' ''It was actually Johnny and (his agent) asking, 'Who's riding your horse?''' assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr. Velazquez needed a mount and the Bodexpress camp was looking for a jockey, so now they're teamed on a 20-1 horse in the Preakness.
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There are times when trainer and jockey match up through pure luck. ''Mike picked up Omaha Beach, who probably would have been the favorite in the Derby, then he jumps back to Baffert because the favorite is here. ''You've got Mike Smith at this point in his career picking up all the best horses all around,'' said trainer D. It's a little easier decision when Baffert, a Hall of Fame trainer, reaches out with the opportunity to ride a strong, fast horse. I have a knack with that sometimes,'' he said. ''Sometimes the first time you ride is the best time. Smith has been through similar situations before, and would love to pull off another win on Saturday.
IRAD ORTIZ JR INJURY UPDATE PLUS
Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez replaces Chris Landeros aboard Bodexpress Joel Rosario goes from Game Winner to Everfast Jon Court from Long Range Toddy to Market King and Jose Ortiz from Tacitus to Anothertwistafate.Īlso, Ricardo Santana moves from Plus Que Parfait to Laughing Fox, and Javier Castellano from Vekoma to Warrior's Charge, which caused Florent Geroux to get in the saddle aboard Owendale. That's only one of many switches for this race. ''It came down to a simple thing: Bob Baffert's had good luck with Mike Smith. He rode him great in the Derby,'' said Elliot Walden, co-owner of Improbable. The team of Baffert and Smith produced a Triple Crown last year with Justify and four years ago with American Pharoah, and now trainer and jockey are together again trying to recreate the magic. That didn't work well for anyone - Improbable never really got a sniff of the lead under Ortiz and Smith finished 10th with Cutting Humor. Smith chose to ride Omaha Beach in the Derby, but after the race favorite was scratched, Baffert opted to stick with Ortiz. Improbable is the morning line favorite partially because he has finished first or second in five of six races, the lone exception when he came in fifth at the Derby and was bumped up to fourth after Maximum Security was disqualified. The top four horses that crossed the finish line in Kentucky won't run in the Preakness.