Jockey Sonny Leon is not taking any chances. The rider of Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) contender Rich Strike will arrive in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. late Aug. 26.
The updated itinerary for the 32-year-old Venezuelan calls for him to fly from Florida to New York following his riding commitments at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla.
"He realized that, you know what? You can trust yourself, but you can't trust the airlines," Jeff Perrin, Leon's agent, said.
Eric Reed, who trains Rich Strike, who is owned by Rick Dawson's TED TR-Racing, said he thought Leon was always going to make it to upstate New York by Friday. Originally, it was thought that Leon was going to fly on Saturday morning.
"He bought that (Saturday) ticket in case the Friday flight got canceled," Reed said. "He knew Saturday would be pushing it."
Leon is scheduled to ride in seven of the nine races at Gulfstream on Friday. His last mount is in the ninth race, which has a scheduled post time of 7:22 p.m.
The Travers will be the only mount Leon has on Saturday and it will be his second career start at Saratoga Race Course.
Last year, he rode Forewarned for trainer Uriah St. Lewis in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). The then 6-year-old finished last in the six-horse field.
Reed said he is not worried about Leon not having a mount at the Spa before the Travers.
"This track is not hard to ride," Reed said. "And my horse is not hard to ride."
