Gomez Breaks Bailey’s Stakes Record With Moccasin Stakes Win
Garrett Gomez set a new record in North American horse racing when he broke Jerry Bailey‘s record for stakes wins in a year riding Spring Awakening into winning the Moccasin Stakes at Hollywood Park, Sunday, November 11th. This is Garrett Gomez’s 71st stakes win of the year.
The win came a day after Gomez tied Jerry Bailey’s 2003 record aboard Hucking Hot in the $65,000 Audrey Kenis Skirball Stakes.
“It feels like we really accomplished something,” Gomez said after sweeping the stakes at Hollywood Park this weekend to surpass Bailey with seven weeks to go in 2007. “It has been slowly sinking in.”
Gomez and Spring Awakening, the heavy favorite in the 7-furlong sprint of the Moccasin Stakes, sat a comfortable third on the backstretch then dueled with Sindy Jacobson in the homestretch before taking the lead and pulling away for a two-length victory.
“When we turned for home, these two fillies really got to running,” Gomez said. “I couldn’t ask her to run too much faster. Her little legs were going a hundred miles an hour. I didn’t put her in the race, she put herself in the race. She was doing it all on her own.”
The 35-year-old Garrett Gomez also easily leads the nation in total earnings with $21.4 million in purses.
His 2007 stakes victories included a runaway win in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Midnight Lute, a victory in the $1 million Haskell Invitation on Any Given Saturday and a win on star filly Rags to Riches in the $500,000 Kentucky Oaks.
Trained by Mike Mitchell for owner Gerald Frankel, Moccasin Stakes winner Spring Awakening covered 7 furlongs in 1:21.38 and paid $5.20, $3 and $2.40. Sindy Jacobson returned $5 and $2.60. The Golden Noodle paid $2.60 to show.
"Gomez Breaks Bailey’s Stakes Record With Moccasin Stakes Win" was posted on 11 November 2007 10:44 PM under Horse Racing News, Horses, Owners & Breeders, Race Tracks, Stakes Races, Trainers
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