SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Don't let the dateline fool you. I'm writing this at Saratoga Race Course, but if you read it tomorrow I'll be in California for the Pacific Classic and on Sunday I'm riding in New Jersey at Monmouth Park. Maybe we should just say "Garrett Gomez, coming to you live from racetracks across the nation!" Or something like that.

I've been based in Saratoga for the entire meet. It's about 2,800 miles away from home. I haven't been back to Del Mar yet this year, but there's no better time than Pacific Classic time.

The Classic is a special race for me. It was the first million-dollar race of my career, on Skimming in 2000, and then we won it again together in 2001. It was my first million-dollar race when I made my comeback in 2005 on Borrego, and I won it in 2008 with Go Between. I'm the only jockey to have won it four times, so it'll be nice to go home and hopefully get another one.

I'm riding Hold Me Back in this year's edition for WinStar Farm, which is a coincidence since I won the 2008 Travers for them with Colonel John. Colonel John and I actually tackled the Pacific Classic last year and wound up fifth, but we were only beaten three lengths. Richard's Kid won that one so we'll try to take him down, same owners, different horse.

Hold Me Back ran second in the Travers last year to Summer Bird. He's a nice 4-year-old son of Giant's Causeway and he won the Dominion Day Handicap at Woodbine last time out, which is a Grade 3 race that was his first off a layup since his last race in March. I've never ridden him but I was offered the opportunity after he won and we had planned this pretty far in advance.

Of course you wait to see how long it takes to get a horse from that race to the next one, but the Pacific Classic was kind of the estimated idea and everything was kind of set into motion and the plan was to go out there early on.

I fly out at 6 'o clock tonight but I'll be back to the East Coast on Sunday aboard Malibu Prayer in the Molly Pitcher at Monmouth for Todd Pletcher. Then I'll drive back here to ride on Monday. It'll be a whirlwind couple of days, but hopefully we'll boot home a couple of winners.