Jockey Eclipse Award: Garrett Gomez

Given that Garrett “Go-Go” Gomez topped the North American leading jockeys’ list for the third consecutive year and took four Breeders’ Cup World Championship races in 2008, it is not surprising he also earned his second Eclipse Award in as many years.

Throughout the course of 2008, Gomez’ mounts earned $23,344,351, which left him just $10,609 short of the record for purse earnings in a year set by Jerry Bailey in 2003. He rode the winners of 214 races from 1,023 mounts and also scored his 3,000th career victory Sept. 28 aboard Hyperbaric in the Oak Tree Mile (gr. II).

“Every year feels like a blur,” Gomez said at the end of 2008. “All the success I’ve had the last three years, I really haven’t had a chance to reflect back on it much.  We just keep going and I’ve got an agent (Ron Anderson) that puts me in these kinds of situations.”

During the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Gomez piloted Ventura, Albertus Maximus, Midshipman, and Midnight Lute to victory in the Sentient Flight Group Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, TVG Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I), and Sentient Flight Group Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I), respectively.

Other grade I winners ridden by Gomez in 2008 include Pioneerof the Nile (CashCall Futurity), Champs Elysees (Northern Dancer Turf Stakes Presented by Vtech), Go Between Pacific Classic), Colonel John (Travers Stakes), Black Mamba (John C. Mabee Handicap), and Nashoba’s Key (Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap).