ockey Garrett Gomez will replace Julien Leparoux as the rider for Preakness Stakes (G1) runner-up Macho Again in the $1-million Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 7.
Leparoux has ridden Macho Again in four of the Macho Uno colt’s five starts this year, including a runner-up finish to Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Big Brown in the Preakness on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course.
Big Brown will attempt to become the 12th Triple Crown winner in the Belmont, a 1 1/2-mile race for three-year-olds that is also expected to include unbeaten Peter Pan Stakes (G2) winner Casino Drive.
Leparoux rode West Point Thoroughbreds’ Macho Again to a win in the Derby Trial Stakes on April 26 at Churchill Downs prior to finishing second in the Preakness. Trainer Dallas Stewart said the decision by West Point to switch jockeys should not reflect negatively on Leparoux, who is currently based at Churchill Downs.
Gomez moved his tack to New York after beginning the year riding in California.
“Julien has done a good job with him,” Stewart said. “But after talking with [West Point President] Terry Finley and the owners, it was a decision based more on a home-court advantage for the rider. Gomez is a New York rider, and he knows that mile-and-a-half track. That’s not taking anything away from Julien or anything, but Gomez rides there every day and he’s going to ride a bunch on the card.
“We’re going up there trying to win it, not that we think we couldn’t win it with Julien. Terry just felt that it would give us a little bit of an edge to have someone that rides there every day.”
Gomez did not have a mount for the Preakness. He leads all North American riders with $7,426,776 in purse earnings through Friday.
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