Hey a lot of what I say about Gomez is out of frustration and tongue in cheek to knock those who were saying he was better than or as good as johnny.
Want me to be brutally honest? Johnny was Gomez for about ten years. Johnny always had all the physical tools and teased us into thinking he was going to be what he is now for a lot of years. I used to curse Johnny out the way i curse out Gomez now. Johnny used to do the same things Gomez does now, ride 4 winners and look like Cordero one day, and then go into a two week schneid that would have you in a straightjacket. Then one year, he just got it all and it clicked.
Gomez may still get it yet. His rides are never bad in terms of RIDING. Hes as strong as an ox and very agile and fearless. But hes at a differeent place and level now, and he has to start thinking his rides through before he gets on the horse. I mean, he knew that Bling had drawn the rail for three days, he had three days to look at pp's. You'd think after watching the undercard and figuring being right on the rail wasn't exactly the place to be, and the fact that his horse could rate, that he would have been thinking from the get go, break as well as possible and start looking for a way outside for a clear run. I could see what was gonna happen on the backside and was quite gleeful!!! He never even looked to explore the most obvious option.
Make no mistake about it though, his agent is the best in the business bar none, and the more he rides here on top horses the more he is gonna learn.
I just think that before he hit this high level he wasn't crafting his rides, and now he has to learn to think them through and craft them. The difference at the very highest level in stakes races is often the trip or a photo. Thts why Bailey won so many photos and stakes. he always thought the rides through and had his mount in the right spot. Rididng a thousand pound animal at 35 MPH in close proximity to other animals doing the same is not easy, as a matter of fact I think all those guys are insane, you couldn't drag me on a horse in a field just to gallop. No way, scary stuff.
Gomez may eventully get the concept that he has to focus on the intellectual aspects of riding and put it all together in a more consistent manner yet. He is capable of giving a mind blowing ride at any time. Hes also capable of causing a swearing and cursinig fit like noone else alive.