The rules of the Minnesota Racing Commission are pretty clear: “All horses shall be ridden out past the finish line in every race.”
That didn't appear to happen in the fifth race at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., on Sunday, Aug. 14. Jockey Chad Lindsay had a commanding 5 1/2-length lead aboard Noel's Angel with an eighth of a mile remaining in the maiden claiming contest for Minnesota-bred fillies and mares. Noel's Angel, a 3-year-old filly by Rocky Bar, was making her second career start for owner-breeder-trainer Gabriel A. Silva Rodriguez and had led throughout the 5 1/2-furlong test at odds of 9-2.
“Noel's Angel is starting to get tired but is doing so with a big lead,” track announcer Paul Allen said as the fillies raced down the stretch. “Voodoo Fire flying from the back of the pack. Can this horse get there? Noel's Angel from Voodoo Fire who is flying.”
As Noel's Angel approached the wire still in front, her rider reached down with his right hand to give the filly a couple of gentle pats on the neck as if to say, “Well done, girl, you did it.”
But as baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra once said about his struggling team's chances of winning a pennant, “It ain't over till it's over.”
Voodoo Fire and jockey Harry Hernandez were bearing down on the outside and in the final few strides passed Noel's Angel to win by a neck. The footnotes from the Equibase chart said that Noel's Angel “lost some momentum late and just missed when it appeared her rider misjudged the wire.”
Lindsay has been riding since 2015 and has 277 career races from 2,625 mounts. He's 12th in the jockey standings at the current Canterbury Park meet with 12 wins from 95 mounts.
Horseplayers who backed Noel's Angel probably felt he should have registered another victory on Sunday.
As of Tuesday, there were no rulings on the racing commission website concerning Lindsay's ride.
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