Gaffalione suspended four days after DQ at Gulfstream Park
Jockey Tyler Gaffalione has started a four-day suspension stemming from his ride in an April 11 race at Gulfstream Park, where after crowding a rival on the rail in deep stretch his mount, Per Capita, was disqualified from a victory.
"Sunday was the first day of his suspension," Gaffalione's agent, Matt Muzikar, confirmed, with the term measuring four days.
With Gulfstream open for racing on a Thursday through Sunday basis, Gaffalione's suspension will lift in time for him to resume riding this Sunday. Entries for that card will be taken Thursday.
Gaffalione and the Chad Brown-trained Tapit colt Per Capita took the lead from Colonel Liam off the turn of a maiden special weight race carded as No. 8 on April 11. But the battle wasn't over.
Jockey Luis Saez tried to re-rally Colonel Liam up the rail in the final 50 yards of the race as Gaffalione and Per Capita veered to the inside, causing Colonel Liam to check.
Saez lodged a claim of foul, and the stewards agreed that Gaffalione had caused interference. Per Capita was disqualified from first and placed second. Colonel Liam was named the winner.
Gaffalione did not appeal the suspension.
"We just wanted to get it over with," Muzikar said. "He knows he was in the wrong. I didn't want to appeal the days and then have them fall when we didn't want to necessarily take them."
In the absence of big-name riders such as Irad Ortiz Jr., who will himself resume riding Saturday at Gulfstream after a break amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Gaffalione has picked up mounts for a number of top trainers. For the meet that began on April 2, he leads all riders with 23 wins from 97 mounts.