Churchill Downs track update: Sept. 28, 2021

A week remains in the September meet at Churchill Downs, which includes the Lukas Classic (G3) and the Ack Ack S. (G3) on Saturday, Oct. 2.

As we forge on to the last week of the meet, let's look back at who has been hot and get ready to ride those streaks into the final race dates.

Jockeys

Tyler Gaffalione (11 wins, 54 starts, 20%) leads the rider standings under the Twin Spires, with Brian Hernandez (10 wins, 48 starts, 21%) close behind.

At the betting windows, Rafael Bejarano (five wins, 33 starts, 15%, +95% ROI) and Reylu Gutierrez (four wins, 15 starts, 27%, +84% ROI) have gotten away with some prices.

There is no turf racing this meet, so let's zoom in on distances.

Hernandez has won mostly in routes. With six victories (22 starts, 27%, -5% ROI), he has twice as many route wins as anyone else. Julien Leparoux (three wins, nine starts, 33%, +48% ROI) and Francisco Arrieta (two wins, seven starts, 29%, +90% ROI) have made the most of limited chances around two turns.

In sprints, Gaffalione has twice as many wins as his closest competitor (eight wins, 35 starts, 23%, +8% ROI). However, Bejarano (four wins, 19 starts, 21%, +200% ROI) has been strong and bettable.

Trainers

In the trainer ranks, Kenny McPeek leads the meet with six wins (15 starts, 40%). The only other barn with more than three wins is Steve Asmussen (four wins, 36 starts, 11%), though part of that is volume, as Asmussen has 14 more starts than any other trainer.

Looking into more specific kinds of races?

Though Asmussen has the most wins in sprints (four wins, 24 starts, 17%), you're more likely to get away with a price in a sprint if you find an interesting runner from the barn of Rodolphe Brisset (two wins, five starts, 40%, +166% ROI) or James DiVito (two wins, five starts, 40%, +202% ROI).

Going long, Chris Hartman (two wins, five starts, 40%, +164% ROI) and Joe Sharp (two wins, eight starts, 25%, +170% ROI) have been particularly worth watching.

At a Glance

For more information about the latest trends at tracks all over North America, make sure to read the latest At a Glance reports, only at Brisnet!