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Two-Day Ban For Dettori After Stradivarius Ride In The Gold Cup

Frankie Dettori was given a two-day riding ban by the stewards at Ascot on Friday, following an inquiry into his use of the whip on Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the Gold Cup.
The stewards were unable to interview Dettori on Thursday, so the hearing was carried forward 24 hours.
The officials ruled Dettori had used his whip above the permitted level in the closing stages of the race, one which prompted much discussion afterwards and left trainer John Gosden wondering out loud why Dettori had opted to take the three-time winner back from his early position.
“I was a bit surprised that being in the box seat we dropped back so far,” Gosden said on Thursday. “It would have been nice to be a touch handier, to say the least.”
Stradivarius had to be switched widest of all for a run, and despite finishing with a flourish could only manage third behind Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

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British Horseracing Authority Bans Assistant Trainer 15 Months For Striking Horses

The British Horseracing Authority has issued a 15-month ban to former assistant trainer Neil Harris over two videos of incidents showing him striking horses during jumps schooling, reports racingpost.com.

The incidents occurred on Dec. 3, 2017 and Aug. 7, 2020, and were brought to the BHA in March 2021. Harris' ban is backdated to March 16, 2021.

“Welfare and the care of horses is absolutely paramount,” James O'Mahony, the BHA disciplinary panel's chairman, told racingpost.com. “In the first footage, there is in our judgement a loss of temper, which is completely inappropriate.

“Yet perhaps the most disturbing feature was blows to the face and neck of the horse concerned. In the second video, there's also the use of a solid implement. His attitude must of course be changed if he thinks for one moment he can do anything like this again.”

Monmouth Jockey Mejia Banned 10 Years for Using Battery

The Monmouth stewards took no mercy on jockey Tomas Mejia, banning him 10 years and fining him $5,000 after they concluded he used a battery or electrical shocking device when riding Strongerthanuknow (Mineshaft) to victory in a Sept. 3 allowance.

In addition to the penalties, the stewards have referred the matter to the New Jersey Racing Commission and have recommended the permanent revocation of Mejia's license.

The ride on Strongerthanuknow was Mejia's first since a July 25 spill at Monmouth and the track photographer took a picture of him to commemorate the comeback win. The picture, which was posted on the Monmouth Facebook page, clearly shows Mejia holding an object, which includes two prongs, in his left hand that appears to be a battery. The picture was subsequently removed.

After the picture surfaced, the stewards ordered the jockey off all of his mounts last Friday. They held a hearing Wednesday and the 10-year ban was part of a ruling issued Thursday.

Thursday's ruling states: “Upon entering the winner's circle and prior to dismounting from the horse Strongerthanuknow on Sept. 3, 2021, Tomas Mejia was in possession of a prohibited electrical device.”

The stewards found that Mejia was in violation of a New Jersey Administrative Code, which reads: “No electrical, mechanical, or other appliance or device, other than the ordinary whip, shall be applied to a horse at any time, anywhere on the grounds of any licensed racetrack.”

The New Jersey Racing Commission does not allow its stewards to talk to the press.

“I don't really know about the evidence other than a photo that was going around Twitter,” said Mejia's agent, Robert Tuccille. “I wasn't at the hearing. I didn't know that any of this was happening. Tomas was always a very nice, pleasant kid and everybody liked him. As a person, the kid was truly a pleasure to work for. He was very nice and nobody ever said a bad word about him. It caught me off guard. But if it's all true, then the penalty is appropriate.”

Trained by Jorge Duarte, Jr., Strongerthanuknow won the race in question, defeating 4-5 favorite Mumbai (Street Sense) by a neck. After riding Strongerthanuknow to victory, Mejia won two more races before being removed from his mounts.

Strongerthanuknow is owned by Colts Neck Stables, and their principal, Richard Santulli, said, “We at Colts Neck Stables were dismayed to learn of this incident, and that this had occurred to one of our horses.” Santulli said that he preferred to withhold comment on the penalty.

Mejia, who turned 26 on Thursday, is a native of Panama who began his career at age 15 after attending the Laffit Pincay, Jr. Jockey Academy in his native country. His began riding in the U.S. in 2018 and has had 110 winners here. He has 19 winners at the Monmouth meet, tying him for 11th place in the standings.

“To get 100 wins to me it's beautiful, especially in this country,” Mejia said in June. “It is tough (to win) since there are a lot of very good jockeys. It is not easy to get to 100 wins, but that is my goal right now.”

He continued: “I want to be the top jockey, and a jockey who gets to 1,000 wins. My goal is that when they see me in races I want people saying, 'That's Mejia, that's my jockey.'”

In comparison to other penalties handed down to riders caught using a battery, the Mejia suspension was noteworthy for its severity. After getting caught using a battery aboard Valhol in the 1999 GI Arkansas Derby, jockey Billy Patin was suspended for five years by the Arkansas Racing Commission. In 2015, Roman Chapa was caught for the third time in his career using a battery and was suspended for five years and fined $25,000 by Texas Racing Commission stewards. Chapa was also caught after evidence surfaced from a picture taken by the Sam Houston track photographer.

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Mahon’s Ban Reduced on Appeal

Irish trainer Stephen Mahon, who was banned for four years and fined for animal neglect, has had his ban reduced by six months on appeal, The Irish Field reported on Friday. His ban was originally going to expire on Apr. 14, 2025. Under investigation for alleged sampling interference with one of his former horses in mid-July, Mahon's appeal was heard on July 31, with the decision published on Friday.

Mahon's licence was withdrawn in June after an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board Referrals Committee hearing. The hearing found he had neglected and had not adequately cared for up to 10 horses in his yard in Kilcolgan, County Galway.

Mahon's appeal focused on his claim that Geoffrey's Girl (Fr) (Croco Rouge {Ire}) had suffered a catastrophic fetlock injury only the morning of the IHRB inspection on Apr. 13, 2021. The IHRB asserted that the injury was over a week old. However, the IHRB Appeals Panel did not feel there was enough evidence to uphold the IHRB's view of what happened, thus his ban was reduced. However, despite the shorter ban, Mahon is not guaranteed of gaining a training licence should he reapply for one in the future.

The IHRB Appeals Panel said in a statement, “…that having regard to the totality of the evidence… Mr. Mahon's conduct as a licenced trainer fell well below the standard reasonably expected. It is manifestly clear that Mr. Mahon's conduct is injurious to the good reputation of horse racing. As a licence holder, he failed in his duties towards the horses in his care by failing to adequately supervise them and to identify even their most basic welfare needs.”

Although barred from training, Mahon is not forbidden from attending race meetings or from working in racing and he has been representing Pat Kelly at the races over the summer.

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