Gaffalione, Cox win titles during record Keeneland fall meet

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione and trainer Brad Cox each took command early and never looked back on the way to winning titles at the Keeneland fall meet that closed Saturday.

Gaffalione captured 24 wins on his way to his fifth fall meet and eighth overall Keeneland leading-rider title. Among his victories were four stakes including the Grade 1 Turf Mile on Carl Spackler, the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) on East Avenue, the Raven Run (G2) on Emery and the Sycamore (G3) on Highway Robber.

Click here for Keeneland entries and results.

Finishing second and third, respectively, in the standings were Luis Sáez and José Ortiz. Saez recorded 20 wins including the Woodford (G2) with Our Shot. Ortiz won the Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) with Zeitlos and the First Lady (G1) with Gina Romantica on his way to 17 meet victories. 

Cox led all trainers with 14 wins to earn his fifth consecutive fall meet and sixth Keeneland overall. Headlining his totals were his record six stakes including the Phoenix (G2) with Federal Judge, the Alcibiades (G1) with Immersive, the Spinster (G1) with champion Idiomatic, the Raven Run (G2) with Emery, the Dowager (G3) with Chop Chop and the Fayette (G2) with Hit Show.

Rodolphe Brisset ranked second in the trainer standings with nine wins. Rusty Arnold and Brendan Walsh tied for third with eight wins each. Arnold’s total was boosted by back-to-back stakes victories on Oct. 25 with Echo Sound in the Myrtlewood and Poolside With Slim in the Valley View (G2). Walsh won the Breeders’ Futurity with East Avenue.

Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin won four races, including two stakes, to be the fall meet’s leading owner. The title was Godolphin’s third in a fall meet in the past four years and sixth overall. Victories included the Breeders’ Futurity with East Avenue and the Alcibiades with Immersive.

Keeneland’s 17-day fall meet had season-record, all-sources wagering of more than $210 million boosted by record purse money.

“The fall meet was exceptional,” Keeneland president and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “The class and quality of the horses and riders competing here are truly special, and we appreciate the tremendous support from our owners and trainers who make the choice to race with us.”

All-sources wagering not including whole-card simulcasting at Keeneland this fall totaled a record $210,165,945, besting the previous record of $208,907,655 set during the 2022 fall meet and marking an increase of 4 percent over last fall’s $201,966,111.  

All-sources wagering for opening weekend Oct. 4-6 was $49.5 million, just shy of the record $49.9 million handled during the comparable three days in 2022. Wagering on opening Saturday’s 11-race card, headlined by five graded stakes, was $22,356,693 for a single-day fall-meet record.

The Pick 5 pool broke Keeneland records twice in October. On Wednesday, Oct. 9, the early Pick 5 pool of $2,427,483 bested the previous Keeneland record of $1,696,981 set on Blue Grass (G1) day during the 2024 spring meet. Two weeks later on Wednesday, the late Pick 5 pool of $2,801,055 established both a Keeneland record and a national record for a Wednesday Pick 5, exceeding the $2,549,098 handled at Del Mar on Aug. 15, 2012. The Pick 5 carryover going into Wednesday also was a record $301,895.

On-track wagering of $16,597,162 increased 2 percent from last year’s $16,270,885.