Doug Hatten, the agent for Monmouth-based jockey Carlos Montalvo, confirmed that the track stewards have informed his rider that he should be in attendance for a hearing Friday in which he will be asked to explain why he went to the whip aboard race winner M I Six (Mission Impazible) in the first race Sunday. On the far turn, Montalvo clearly struck his horse, which was noted in the footnote of the chart for the race, which read: (M I Six) had the rider go to the whip three times.” At 28-1, the 4-year-old won the race.
The stewards may also want to talk to jockey Carlos E. Lopez. Aboard Venezuelan Talent (Outwork), who resorted to whipping his horse in the stretch while battling Emirates Affair (Handsome Mike) in Sunday's seventh race. Venezuelan Talent finished second.
The two examples of jockeys using the whip on the same day came after six weeks of the meet has been concluded without incident. Anyone using the whip, which is no longer allowed to be used to encourage a horse in New Jersey, can be subject to a five-day suspension and a $500 fine for the first offense, but the stewards, entering Sunday, had had no reason to suspend or fine any jockeys.
Under the controversial new whipping rules in New Jersey, a rider can use the whip only if he or she feels it is necessary for safety reasons. M I Six was bearing out on the turn, and Hatten said Montalvo did in fact use the whip only because he thought the horse's antics had put him in a dangerous situation.
“The horse Sunday, the horse is a terribly mannered horse,” Hatten said. “They could barely get him into the paddock. The outrider had to bring him into the paddock. He cleared his way through the tunnel and was the first horse out on the track. He was throwing his head and throwing his body all over the place. Then we found out afterwards all the things this horse has done. He broke [jockey] Isaac Castillo's nose last year. He was sent to a trainer at Parx and was there less than a week. The trainer called them up and said you have to take this horse back to the farm because he was going to kill someone.
“The horse was getting out and Carlos said he felt that he needed to hit this horse. In a split second, he could have gone from the four or six-path to the outside fence. He felt this horse was dangerous and that his health was in jeopardy. I have no idea what the stewards will do. We will see on Friday.”
As for Lopez, who could not be reached for comment, he was riding in his first-ever race at Monmouth aboard Venezuelan Talent. That raises the possibility that he may not have known about the new whipping rules. Prior to his one ride at Monmouth, he had accepted six mounts at Pimlico.
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