Geroux Follows Top Cox Prospects to Oaklawn Park

Florent Geroux's current stint as a riding regular at Oaklawn Park figures to go better than his first. Much better.

Geroux was fresh off his first career riding title at Hawthorne Race Course when he made his Oaklawn debut in 2012, hopeful to ride often for Midwest Thoroughbreds, Richard and Karen Papiese's powerful stable at the time.

But when the late Roger Brueggemann, a Midwest Thoroughbreds trainer, remained in the Chicago area, Geroux rode sparingly for Midwest Thoroughbreds during the 2012 Oaklawn meeting, and he quietly left Hot Springs, Ark., after going winless with only seven mounts.

"We just decided to go back to Chicago because we didn't have the business we were promised to have," Geroux said during training hours Jan. 20 at Oaklawn. "With Midwest Thoroughbreds, it was back and forth. Sometimes you get hired, and sometimes you stay on the bench. It's always been like that. But through my career, I can't complain. They just helped me a lot and really helped my career to go to another level. It was mainly because of (Brueggemann), winning a lot of races on the Chicago circuit and winning the Breeders' Cup (Sprint, G1) with Work All Week and the Arlington Million (G1T) with The Pizza Man."

Geroux did make an important business contact during his brief stint at the 2012 Oaklawn meet, riding some horses for Brad Cox, then one of Midwest's trainers. 

"When I came here, it was just different trainers," Geroux said. "The only one who helped me was Brad."

Almost a decade later, Geroux has returned to Oaklawn full time, more specifically as the go-to rider for Cox, a finalist for an Eclipse Award as the country's outstanding trainer of last year. 

Normally, Geroux, 34, winters at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, but COVID-19 protocols and Cox's desire to run many of his better horses at Oaklawn led Geroux to switch his principal base. Previously, he would travel to Oaklawn to ride in stakes races.

"Brad and I, we talked and we decided where was best for me to go, and that was mainly here," said Geroux, whose 36 victories ranked fourth in this season's Fair Grounds standings through Wednesday. "Of course, it was mainly because of him. At the Fair Grounds, I have a lot of business, too. I have more business there because people expect me to ride there. Here, it's different, but I'm hoping to have a good meet. With the help of Brad, I think it's going to be very beneficial."

In contrast to 2012, Geroux is named on 16 horses during Oaklawn's opening three days, mostly for Cox. According to track publicity, Geroux and Cox have teamed for 285 victories since 2014, a collaboration highlighted by the success of champion and dual Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) winner Monomoy Girl. 

"We work well together," said Cox, Oaklawn's third-leading trainer in 2020 and a dominant figure the last few years at Fair Grounds. "He's done a fantastic job for us for years now. Just thought we would start at Fair Grounds and see how it goes. It's going well, but I think with the purse money and the day-to-day racing being so good at Oaklawn, it probably just makes more sense for him to be at Oaklawn, as opposed to the Fair Grounds."

Among Geroux's first scheduled mounts for Cox is Shortleaf Stable's Caddo River opening-day Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 22, and the newly acquired Hidden Scroll for Cox and owner Marc Detampel in a Jan. 24 allowance race.

Geroux is also eager to reunite with Monomoy Girl, who is scheduled to make her 2021 debut in the $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares Feb. 15 at Oaklawn. The Bayakoa is a major local prep for the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 17.

"Very excited," Geroux said. "It's one of the main reasons, too, I'm here. Because of the COVID situation, you don't know how you're going to be able to travel back and forth. She's supposed to run twice, once in the Bayakoa and once in the Apple Blossom. That's one of the main reasons why I'm here." 

Geroux has more than 1,700 victories and $108 million in purse earnings over his career. In addition to Monomoy Girl, Geroux was the regular rider of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner  for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

A native of France, Geroux recorded his first United States victory in 2008 and has 11 career Oaklawn victories. 

Keepmeinmind Continues Fast Training for 3-year-old Bow

Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) winner Keepmeinmind recorded his third local workout this month at Oaklawn—zipping five furlongs in bullet 1:00 over a fast track Jan. 19 under jockey David Cohen—in advance of the colt's intended return next month.

"Really good," trainer Robertino Diodoro said Wednesday morning. "It worked out good, actually. Just right at the quarter pole, like David said, he looked up and saw there was a horse about six or seven lengths in front of him, and he had a little target to run at. It kind of worked out really well."

Keepmeinmind is one of several stakes-winning 3-year-olds, a group that includes Essential Quality and Jackie's Warrior, under consideration for the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Feb. 15. Diodoro said earlier this month that a race at Fair Grounds could be an alternative for the Laoban  colt, who is owned by Cypress Creek and Arnold Bennewith.

Keepmeinmind raced four times last year. Besides his Kentucky Jockey Club victory, he finished second in a maiden race and the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) and was third in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1).