Jockey Florent Geroux, who tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-July, resumed breezing horses July 28 at Churchill Downs and will return to riding July 31 at Ellis Park.
He is booked on Gator Romp in Friday's seventh race, a $37,000 maiden race, and the next day on Aug. 1 he rides Moliere in the fifth race, another maiden contest. He last rode July 12 at Keeneland, which had followed days earlier that week riding at Belmont Park, Keeneland and Indiana Grand.
During that time frame, Luis Saez also was diagnosed with COVID-19. Saez also rode at Indiana Grand and Keeneland before his positive test. Saez returned to riding July 24 at Saratoga Race Course after clearing protocols to return, which included a negative test result.
"I never had any symptoms, I'm thankful for that," Geroux said. "I was not sick. You can see in our country and the rest of the world, some of them, it's not very pretty. I was just thankful to not be sick. I missed a couple of weeks of racing, but that's the way it is, and I had to stay home in quarantine."
Several of Geroux's scheduled mounts won in his absence at Ellis Park.
"It's never a good time, but it's better last week and two weeks ago than happening Kentucky Derby Week," he said. "And I have some good mounts coming up now."
