McMahon Summarily Suspended, Off All Mounts At Sam Houston

Jockey Charles “C.J.” McMahon, arrested on Jan. 2 in Lafayette, La., and charged with attempted murder, illegal use of weapons and possession of schedule 1 drugs, has been summarily suspended by Texas Racing Commission stewards and taken off all mounts at Sam Houston Race Park, which kicks off its 2021 meeting on Friday evening.

The ruling states that McMahon “admitted to recent use of Marijuana and tested positive for Marijuana on a field test kit on Jan. 5, 2021. Jockey Charles McMahon is hereby summarily suspended starting on Jan. 5, 2021, pending a hearing.”

Don Ahrens, director of security and parking at Sam Houston, confirmed that McMahon has been “excluded in accordance with the Texas Racing Commission ruling and other related matters.”

The 26-year-old jockey was taken into custody Jan. 2 after a traffic stop in Lafayette when police discovered there were outstanding warrants against McMahon stemming from a Dec. 27 incident in which he allegedly fired a weapon into a car stopped at a traffic light. Traffic cameras were believed to have caught the incident on tape. According to the arrest record, police also found marijuana in McMahon's possession at the time of the arrest.

Bond was set at $80,000 and McMahon was released on Jan. 3.

McMahon last rode at Delta Downs in Louisiana on Dec. 28 and had been working horses in the morning at Sam Houston in preparation for the meet at the Houston track.

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Details Emerge In Attempted Murder Charge Against Jockey C.J. McMahon

Jockey Charles J. (C.J.) McMahon, 26, was arrested by the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana on Jan. 2 and charged with attempted murder in the second degree, illegal use of weapons, and possession of schedule 1 drugs.

Bond, set at $80,000, was posted on Sunday, and McMahon was released.

According to the Thoroughbred Daily News, details of the case were confirmed Tuesday afternoon by Wayne Griffin, a spokesperson for the Lafayette Police Department.

“[McMahon] was allegedly involved in an incident where a vehicle was parked at a red light. He pulled up in his own vehicle next to the car. He shot into the car. And then he sped off,” Griffin told the TDN. “We were able to locate the vehicle through some investigative means and [by using traffic cameras]. And in turn we were able to locate him and make an arrest.”

The alleged incident is reported to have occurred on Dec. 27. No individuals were injured during the shooting, Griffin said.

The son of a Quarter Horse jockey and grandson of a trainer, McMahon began riding horses at an early age and took out his apprentice jockey's license at 16, recording his first win at Evangeline Downs in 2011.

Previously a leading rider at Lone Star Park and Delta Downs, McMahon is coming off his least productive year since 2014, winning 47 races from 391 mounts that earned $1,147,087. He enjoyed his best years in 2015 and '16, winning 219 races in 2015 (ranking 11th nationally) and compiling mount earnings of $4,989,625 the following year. McMahon has won three graded stakes: the 2016 Texas Mile Stakes (G3) with Great Minds and the Super Derby (G3) and Oklahoma Derby (G3) with Texas Chrome in 2016.

McMahon was suspended by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission for 30 days in 2017 for reportedly testing positive for methamphetamine and THC.

Most recently he rode the Delta Downs meet in Vinson, La., where he won with two of 41 mounts, his last appearance there on Dec. 28. He was named to ride the Jan. 8 and Jan. 9 programs at Sam Houston Race Park in Texas.

The TDN reports that McMahon's jockey license remains in good standing in Texas, but he may not be allowed to ride at Sam Houston.

“The thing with McMahon is his license remains in good standing with us,” Robert Elrod, the public information officer for the Texas Racing Commission, told the TDN. “But my understanding is Sam Houston is not going to let him ride. That's their call. As long as he doesn't have a conviction, he's afforded due process.”

Sam Houston officials did not return requests for comment.

McMahon has 1,046 career victories from 6,734 races for mount earnings of $22,682,202, according to Equibase.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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C.J. McMahon Alleged to Have Fired Shots into Vehicle at Red Light

Jockey Charles Jantzen (C.J.) McMahon allegedly fired a gun into a stopped vehicle at a red light in his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, and then sped off Dec. 27, which led to his arrest on attempted murder charges in that city after a Jan. 2 traffic stop.

These new details of the case were confirmed Tuesday afternoon by Wayne Griffin, a spokesperson for the Lafayette Police Department. McMahon posted an $80,000 bond Sunday that freed him from incarceration on charges that also included illegal use of a dangerous weapon and possession of marijuana.

Griffin told TDN that no one in the vehicle that took the gunfire got hurt. “They’re fine,” he added, explaining he could not discuss how many shots were allegedly fired or what the motive might have been because the case is still under investigation.

“[McMahon] was allegedly involved in an incident where a vehicle was parked at a red light. He pulled up in his own vehicle next to the car. He shot into the car. And then he sped off,” Griffin said. “We were able to locate the vehicle through some investigative means and [by using traffic cameras]. And in turn we were able to locate him and make an arrest.”

TDN could not find a working phone number for McMahon, nor could the Lafayette Parish District Court confirm whether he has an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

McMahon, 26, is a third-generation Louisiana-based horseman whose grandfather trained Quarter Horses. His father, a retired jockey, rode them, with C.J.’s mother booking mounts as his agent.

McMahon broke in as a jockey at age 16 in 2011, and one year ago this week he earned his 1,000th lifetime win. He has ridden regularly at various Louisiana and Texas tracks while often at or near the top of the standings, but his number of mounts and win totals have fluctuated in recent seasons.

In 2013, McMahon was suspended in Indiana for making threatening remarks to a starter prior to a race. And in 2017, he was suspended for 30 days in that state after testing positive for levels of methamphetamine and marijuana.

McMahon most recently rode at Delta Downs Dec. 28 and is next named to ride on the opening day program at Sam Houston Race Park Jan. 8.

TDN asked Robert Elrod, the public information officer for the Texas Racing Commission, if McMahon’s jockey license would be affected by the charges.

“The thing with McMahon is his license remains in good standing with us,” Elrod said. “But my understanding is Sam Houston is not going to let him ride. That’s their call. As long as he doesn’t have a conviction, he’s afforded due process.”

Dwight Berube, Sam Houston’s vice president of operations and general manager, did not return a voicemail query about McMahon’s status prior to deadline for this story.

A spokeswoman for the Lafayette Parish District Attorney told TDN that because of the way Louisiana handles criminal complaints, it could be anywhere from a few days to eight weeks before McMahon is formally arraigned on the charges that police filed.

“We’re a little bit different [in Louisiana],” the spokeswoman explained. “Arraignments are set only once the charges are accepted [by the district attorney]. So basically, he was arrested, he got bonded out, and is no longer incarcerated. The next step will be the [police] report’s going to come here. It will go into review and be assigned to a particular assistant district attorney. And then at that point they can answer any questions that are part of the public record. He’s not even in our system yet.”

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Jockey McMahon Arrested for Attempted Murder in Louisiana

Charles Jantzen (C.J.) McMahon, a 26-year-old jockey, was arrested Jan. 2 in Lafayette, Louisiana, on charges that include attempted second-degree murder.

The Paulick Report first reported the arrest Sunday. The Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Department reported on its website that McMahon was “arrested after traffic stop and drugs were found, also an active warrant” had been issued for McMahon’s arrest.

McMahon, who was taken into custody at 4:27 p.m. Saturday, was also charged with possession of marijuana and illegal use of a dangerous weapon, although no weapons were listed among his posessions on the intake manifest.

The sheriff’s department was unable to provide additional details Sunday afternoon just prior to deadline for this story, and the dispatcher who answered the phone could not say if McMahon had an attorney who could be reached to comment on his behalf. According to his custody record, McMahon was booked into Lafayette Parish Correctional Center about 2 1/2 hours after his arrest.

McMahon is a third-generation Louisiana-based horseman who has ridden regularly at various southwest tracks while routinely at or near the top of the standings. His grandfather trained Quarter Horses and his father, a retired jockey, rode them.

C.J. McMahon most recently rode at Delta Downs Dec. 28 and is next named to ride on the opening day program at Sam Houston Race Park Jan. 8.

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