Decarlo handles the Monmouth string and Bejarano has the Churchill string. Luzzi is quite competent and a good winter jockey but I think he was looking to find a replacement of the highest quality that he could. Prado would never take it, despite what some morons would have you believe. I've read a few of these geniuses who think Gomez was "chosen" over him. No way Frieze/Prado would have taken it. They get all the best horses that Pletcher doesnt train. They knew Johnny would be back so why the hell would he burn bridges with all his main clients for a few months of mounts. Gomez was the most likely replacement and had ridden well, especially in stakes, the last year or so.
Problem appears to be what I predicted, the style of riding in NY. In Ny its long been a tradition(started by Angel Cordero and Jorge Velasquez) that you don't just ride your own horse, you ride the others as well. By this I mean that you will often see Prado and Velazquez lock guys on main competitors in a trap or jackpot and keep them locked in. If you want to get a hole in NY you have to get lucky and have the horse in front of you drift out or in, cause those guys arent letting you out, no way no how. Garrett likes to "make things happen" with his style of riding. Likes to save ground and try to split horses. When it works(like on Artie in the BC) he looks like a genius, when it doesn't work(like in the BC sprint when Edgar swung the door shut as he heard him coming and said "where do you think you are going?") he doesnt look so hot.
Its a completely different ballgame here.