What A Ride, But Florent Who…?

Little known to SA racing fans, but a clearly inordinately patient man in life and in the saddle, 38 year old French-born jockey Florent Geroux produced a Striker Strydom style ride to raise his international profile in the 123,50 seconds that it took the American-bred grey Hit Show to win the $12 million Dubai World Cup, and cap an extraordinary card of racing at Meydan on Saturday.

Eight years after finishing second on Gun Runner in 2017, Florent Geroux finally bagged his Dubai World Cup trophy – despite dropping his crop 100m out on the 66-1 shot and having to get to an uber determined Frankie Dettori on Mixto!

But this time, there was no Arrogate to deny Geroux.

In a thrilling finish to Saturday night’s showpiece, his mount, a five-year-old son of Argentinian stallion Candy Ride, surged past a tiring Forever Young to pen a new script of his own.

Geroux said: “Only at the 100m did I think I could win! When I passed a lot of horse, Forever Young was my target and he was not travelling at all. I tried to find another horse to follow, from there my horse was game. For some reason, he just runs for me all the time – he is amazing. I’ll be honest with you, I was running for a place and he gave me more. I can’t quite believe it. I’ll take it though! Gun Runner was such a great horse and he couldn’t do it, it was a very tough beat, but Hit Show has done it.”

And what a race it was! Wathnan Racing’s Hit Show weaved his way through the traffic to run down fellow American-bred outsider Mixto. The top-class Forever Young, who never appeared entirely comfortable in transit, did his best work late, but it was only good enough to edge Walk of Stars out of third.

Florent Geroux has ridden over 1700 winners, including the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic on Gun Runner, two Breeders’ Cup Distaff wins with Monomoy Girl, and the 2021 Kentucky Derby on upgraded winner,Mandaloun.

Geroux was born in 1986 in Argentan, France. The son of Dominique Geroux, a jockey turned trainer, at  age 13 he was accepted into the French riding academy.

He later started riding in France and became a leading apprentice. He booted home his first winner on 6 May 2004 at Longchamp, on a horse called Chopyluz.

Geroux travelled to the United States for the first time in early 2007, working with trainer Patrick Biancone for a few months, before returning briefly to France.

In the fall of 2007, he returned to the United States with the intention of joining the Kentucky racing circuit. On the opening day at Keeneland, he suffered a serious fall, suffering a broken wrist and two fractured vertebrae. He recuperated in France for several months then returned to the States with Chicago as his home base.

He enjoyed some success over the next years, with a career best year in 2016, banking earnings of $17,690,013 and 217 wins, including two Gr1 successes on I’m a Chatterbox.

Geroux picked up the mount on Gun Runner at the start of the year and rode him to a win in the Louisiana Derby and a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. After the pair finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, they capped the year with a win in the Clark Handicap.

Another highlight was winning four graded races on Arlington Million Day: the Beverly D, Secretariat, American St. Leger and Pucker Up.

The Dad of two became a U.S. citizen in 2018.

In 2017, Geroux was ranked in the top ten of North American jockeys. With Gun Runner, he won the Breeders’ Cup Classic and four other stakes races, including the well publicized second-place finish in the Dubai World Cup.

“You ride a thousand horses a year, and this one, there’s just something special,” said Geroux of his connection in Gun Runner. “I’m not a true believer in that, but I do believe now.”

A lovely tale of patience!

With the victory on Saturday, Hit Show earned an all-expenses-paid trip to the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on 1 November, along with Danon Decile, Soul Rush and Dark Saffron.

Winning trainer Brad Cox, who watched the race on television, indicated that all roads would lead to the American showpiece for his five-year-old, who was bred by Gary & Mary West Stables.

Cox said: “I still can’t quite believe it, it’s unbelievable. I would have loved to be there but just with so much going on with these three-year-olds and trying to get to the (Kentucky) Derby, I couldn’t make it. However, he was in good hands with the people I sent over with him. It’s a great accomplishment.”