Tyler Gaffalione

Gaffalione received the 2015 Eclipse Award trophy as the country’s leading apprentice rider at the racetrack where he earned his first riding title. The 20-year-old become the leading rider at Gulfstream Park’s 2015 spring/summer meet. With four days left in the meet, Gaffalione already had a 24-win lead but sealed the deal by winning four races June 27.

Gaffalione had contemplated riding somewhere less competitive than at Gulfstream’s champion winter meet, but he knew he wouldn’t gain the same experience as he would riding against some of the East Coast’s best jockeys.

“It was the best thing I ever decided to do, was to stay here this winter,” Gaffalione said back in June. “I learned so much from guys like Javier [Castellano], John Velazquez, [Edgar) Prado, for sure—he’s been a big help—Joel Rosario, Julien Leparoux, Rajiv [Maragh]. They’re great riders, good guys, and when you ride with them, you learn some of their habits—what they’re going to do, when they do it, kind of like their tendencies. It really helped me out a lot.”

Gaffalione had a 15% win rate for the year, which included four black-type stakes victories. The young rider is the son of Steve Gaffalione, a winner of more than 800 races during 20-year riding career. 

Gaffalione increased his yearly purse earnings every year from 2014 through 2018, when he amassed a career-best $12,687,324 in purse earnings and picked up the first two Grade 1 wins of his career. Gaffalione recorded the 1,000th winner of his career in the eighth race Dec. 30 at Gulfstream Park on Mission From Elle.

In 2019, Gaffalione enjoyed success on the Triple Crown trail with victories on War of Will in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes and Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford and a win in the Jeff Ruby Steaks on Somelikeithotbrown. He earned his first classic win on May 18 when he guided War of Will through an opening along the rail at Pimlico and he charged through to win the 144th edition of the Preakness Stakes.