Apprentice jockey Christopher Elliott’s bid for an Eclipse Award brings him to Gulfstream Park on Thursday, where he has four mounts on what is a dark day at his current base of Aqueduct.
Elliott, the son of Kentucky Derby-winning rider Stewart Elliott, is the current leading apprentice at the Belmont meet at Aqueduct. Christopher is scheduled to have his apprentice allowance through the middle of August.
“He’s one of the leading guys for the Eclipse right now, so we’re trying to ride as often as possible,” agent Jose Santos Jr. said Monday. “This week NYRA doesn’t run on Thursday because they have a Memorial Day card, so I just looked for some mounts on Thursday and was lucky enough to land some.”
Elliott is named on horses in the second, fifth, seventh, and ninth races.
He rides first-time starter St. Brigid’s Cross in the second, a maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies at five furlongs on turf. It is the richest race on the card with a purse of $70,000.
St. Brigid’s Cross is a daughter of Leinster, a multiple graded stakes winner on the grass whose victories include the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint. He is off to a fast start at stud, with two debut winners from his first four starters, according to statistics from Daily Racing Form.
George Weaver trains St. Brigid’s Cross for co-breeder Amy Dunne. Weaver has strong stats across the board, winning at a 16 percent rate with first-time starters, 19 percent with 2-year-olds, 22 percent with turf sprinters, and 25 percent at the current meet.
St. Brigid’s Cross breaks from post 8 in the field of 12.
Elliott rides One Special Act in the fifth race, a $12,500 maiden-claiming sprint for fillies and mares over 6 1/2 furlongs. One Special Act will start from post 10 and might get a nice stalking trip behind the speed drawn to her inside. Kathleen O’Connell trains the 4-year-old, who is coming off a runner-up finish at a similar level at Tampa Bay Downs.
In the seventh, Elliott will team with Solomons Gold, a fresh horse who has the speed to hold his position from the rail in the $6,250 claiming sprint that marks his first out since February.
In the ninth and final race, Elliott’s mount Mean to Me figures to be making her case in the later stages on the cutback from two turns to one in the $8,000 claiming sprint for fillies and mares who have never won three races. It will be run over five furlongs on Tapeta.
Elliott will return to Gulfstream next Thursday and Friday, May 29-30, said Santos, as there is no racing at NYRA. From there, he will ride at Monmouth Park on May 31 and June 1 before heading to Saratoga for the special racing festival built around the Belmont Stakes.
Santos said plans are for Elliott to continue to be based in New York.
“We’ve been lucky where we’ve locked down a lot of good business in New York, riding for a lot of different trainers,” Santos said. “And he’s at the place he wants to be right now, so that’s the goal. Even past losing his apprenticeship, we want to try to stay in New York.”
◗ Mister Abarrio leads Gulfstream’s featured eighth race, a $25,000 starter allowance for 3-year-olds and up over 7 1/2 furlongs on turf.
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