Gaffalione Named Breakthrough Jockey of the Year

Tyler Gaffalione has been named JockeyTalk360.com's 2017 Breakthrough Jockey of the Year, presented by Betfair/TVG. The 2015 Eclipse Award winner for leading apprentice will be presented with his award at the Dec. 12 awards luncheon at the Jockey's Guild Assembly in Las Vegas. “One of the toughest things for a young rider is to keep momentum going after losing the apprentice weight allowances,” said C.J. Johnsen, editor of JockeyTalk360.com. “Tyler this year capitalized on his opportunities to emerge as a rising star in our sport. Kudos to Tyler and his agent, Matt Muzikar, for executing a thoughtful plan to take the young jockey to the next level, building his confidence as well as physical skills and mental acumen with the goal of being a top rider for a long time.” Gaffalione has won 20 stakes so far this year, with $10.28 million in purse money. He took home the Gulfstream Park, spring meet title, summer-fall riding title and was third in wins during the Florida oval's championship meet. “I owe it all to my agent; he did a great job,” said Gaffalione, a third-generation jockey. “He's given me the confidence, he hasn't thrown me to the wolves, so to say, but just let me kind of transition to the stages, given me an opportunity to ride at other big tracks. It's been a great experience, a great learning experience, riding at all different types of tracks. Matt did a great job planning the year. We're trying to build to the future.”