ARCADIA, Calif. – Chaos seemed to be part of Reef Runner’s brief career in California, which consisted of the final Saturday of August at Del Mar and on Saturday at Santa Anita.
Reef Runner, typically based at Gulfstream Park with trainer David Fawkes, was disqualified from first and placed second in the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar on Aug. 30. With the demotion, Reef Runner lost a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 1.
Saturday at Santa Anita went much better, with Reef Runner winning the Grade 2 Eddie D Stakes, but only after an awkward period when Fawkes was without a rider.
Paco Lopez was named on Reef Runner when entries were taken on Sept. 22, but lost the mount due to a six-month suspension issued by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority later in the week.
Antonio Fresu was named as the replacement rider, but he was eliminated from consideration early Saturday afternoon when it was realized that he could not take the mount while under a routine suspension for causing interference. Fresu was allowed to ride designated races, or graded stakes, over the weekend while under suspension, but had to be named in such races at time of entry, according to California Horse Racing Board rules.
After a scramble to find a rider, and a conversation with Lopez, Fawkes settled on Armando Ayuso. Riding Reef Runner for the first time, Ayuso guided the 4-year-old gelding from last of eight to win the Eddie D at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course. The Eddie D was a prep to the BC Turf Sprint for Reef Runner.
For Ayuso, the Eddie D Stakes was his first victory in a Grade 2 stakes.
“I told him that if I knew that he wouldn’t have ridden it,” Fawkes joked.
Fawkes arranged a three-person conversation with Lopez and Ayuso Saturday afternoon to discuss Reef Runner. Fawkes said the two riders did most of the talking.
“I was not part of it because they [spoke] Spanish,” Fawkes said.
Fawkes said Ayuso was selected at Lopez’s urging.
“I’m looking at the program and there is no one left I know,” Fawkes said. “I called Paco and said, ‘Hey what do you think?’ He said, ‘I like this kid. He’ll ride your horse really good.’
“Paco is a good friend. He wanted to see me in the winner’s circle as bad as anyone,” said Fawkes.
While in California, Reef Runner has been based with trainer John Sadler, and his assistant Juan Leyva.
Leyva rode frequently for Fawkes in Florida during an 18-year riding career from 2000 to 2017. Together, they won 37 races from 247 starters, including three consecutive stakes wins at Gulfstream Park in 2016 with Cajun Delta Dawn.
“Juan gets on him every day,” Fawkes said. “Juan takes care of everything. They’ve done an unbelievable job.”
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