posted May 29, 2008 at 13:29 EST in Triple Crown Betting Trends

Macho Again, the second-place finisher in the 2008 Preakness Stakes, just got a huge boost to his “I can beat Big Brown” credentials because Garrett Gomez, the 2007 Eclipse Award winner as top jockey in the nation, has decided to ride him in the Belmont Stakes.

That’s good news for anybody associated with Macho Again or thinking about wagering on Macho Again in the 2008 Belmont.

Gomez is simply the best jockey in the world right now. He can do almost no wrong. That’s a rarity in a sport where split decision making almost requires no mistakes just to stay alive. Jockey’s are on the backs of one-thousand pound animals that are traveling at speeds of around 40 miles per hour. Just to stay on the horse is usually a challenge.

Gomez doesn’t just stay on the horses, but usually brings them across the finish line first. Just check out his stats from 2007 and your mouth starts to water at the thought of cashing winning ticket after ticket after ticket on Gomez’s mounts.

In 2007 Gomez dominated both coasts. He won the Kentucky Oaks and Santa Anita Oaks on Rags to Riches. He won the Haskell Invitational, the Brooklyn Handicap, and the Dwyer on Any Given Saturday. He won the Hopeful Stakes on Majestic Warrior and the Frizette on Indian Blessing. He won the Del Mar Futurity on Georgie Boy, the Woodbine Mile on Shakespeare, and the Del Mar Handicap on Crossing the Line.

Wait…I’m not done. Gomez also won stakes races with Lady of Venice, Rutherienne, Pussycat Doll, Wait a While, Nashoba’s Key, and Lear’s Princess. Finally, he won the prestigious Godolphin Mile aboard Spring At Last. In 2008 Gomez has 86 victories out of 448 mounts. That translates to earning of over 7 million in less than six months.

Not bad for a guy who recently came back recently from a narcotic’s addiction.

The fact that Gomez would consider taking the mount on Macho Again, when he could probably find some easy paychecks in California that day, means that Gomez has some faith in both the connections of Macho Again and the horse itself.

Guy’s like Garrett Gomez don’t just take any mount. Not when you are the reigning Eclipse Award Winner and the recognized best jockey in the world.

Will Gomez’s presence move Macho Again up in the Belmont Stakes? Absolutely. There just is no way that a jockey like Gomez couldn’t help Macho Again. Whether the horse is good enough is one thing, but Macho Again should definitely feel the effects of having Gomez on his back.

That means Macho Again just went from a long-shot to a solid play to beat Big Brown in the 2008 Belmont Stakes. Yes, sometimes a jockey does mean that much.

When that jockey’s name is Garret Gomez expectations change wildly and the expectation is now that, with Garrett Gomez on his back, Macho Again will make his presence felt against both Casino Drive and Big Brown in the 2008 Belmont Stakes.

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