jockey suspension | Horse Racing Free Tips

Velazquez Plans To Appeal Three-Day Suspension Issued By California Stewards

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will appeal the three-day suspension he was issued by stewards in Southern California, his agent, Ron Anderson, told Horse Racing Nation.

Velazquez' suspension was due to his ride in Santa Anita's 11th race on Saturday, in which his mount, favorite Following Sea, was disqualified from second to third for interference.

The dates of his suspension are scheduled for March 14, 19, and 20.

“We would miss the races at the Fair Grounds, of which there's eight stakes — he rides a horse called Proxy for a million dollars (Louisiana Derby),” Anderson told HRN. “If we do ride that day, we would have to give another day back, which would be Florida Derby day (March 28). So we can't really do that. So the circumstances of all this were just to appeal.”

Updated: ‘Integrity Issue’ Behind 30-Day Suspension Of Eclipse Award-Winning Apprentice

Eclipse Award-winning apprentice jockey Alexander Crispin has been suspended for 30 days and fined $1,000 for carrying the wrong weight during a race at Laurel Park in Maryland, the Daily Racing Form reported Tuesday.

On Wednesday, DRF reported the circumstances surrounding the ruling. Maryland stewards had heard rumors about Crispin allegedly riding under weight.

The race in question is the ninth on Jan. 16, 2021, in which Alpha Queue finished third. The horse, trained by Lacey Gaudet, was disqualified, and the Equibase chart notes that it “carried wrong weight.” Crispin's listed weight in the chart, presumably the weight at which he was supposed to ride Alpha Queue, was 115 pounds.

Video evidence showed that Crispin weighed in at 115 before the race, but 110 afterward.

According to the condition book, Crispin can ride at as low as 108 pounds.

Maryland rules require disqualification if the jockey rides at least one pound below listed weight, while overweights may be penalized with warnings.

“We felt, as a group, that it was an integrity issue, and it needed to be addressed,” chief state steward Adam Campola told drf.com. “We wanted to make sure something like this doesn't happen again.”

Two stewards outside of Maryland, commenting without specific knowledge of Crispin's case, told the Daily Racing Form that the fine and suspension suggest Crispin may have deliberately falsified his weight, or knew that he was not riding under the assigned weight.

British Horseracing Authority Suspends Jockey 56 Days For ‘Absurd Exhibition’

A disciplinary panel at the British Horseracing Authority handed down a 56-day ban to conditional jockey Callum McKinnes on Friday, reports the Racing Post, for his ride aboard World Trip at Hereford in October. The mare finished fifth of 11 in the novice hurdle event.

“The panel has found Mr. McKinnes's breach of the riding standard required by the rules to be deliberate rather than the negligent breach he admitted,” read the panel's report. “It was behavior aggravated by his untruthfulness both before the Hereford stewards and before this panel. If he had ridden normally, there is every reason to think that World Trip would have improved her placing and finished fourth. Instead he rode in a way that brings racing into disrepute.”

During the hearing, it was alleged that McKinnes rode below the standard required by rules between the second-last and last hurdles, as well as for a large part of the finish. Asked to explain his “very exaggerated style” in those locations, McKinnes claimed he was riding normally; the panel revealed the jockey later admitted that to have been a deliberate lie.

The panel's report calls the ride “an absurd exhibition,” and added: “There can be no doubt that his conduct was deliberate, even if unexplained.”

Del Mar Stewards Suspend Ruben Fuentes 11 Days For Pair Of Careless Riding Incidents

Jockey Ruben Fuentes has been suspended for a total of 11 race days due to a pair of careless riding infractions, according to a ruling published by Del Mar Thoroughbred Club stewards.

First, Fuentes was given four days for his ride aboard winner Quiet Secretary in Friday's ninth race. Stewards held an inquiry after Fuentes allowed his mount to drift out in the stretch, but did not change the order of finish.

Fuentes was cited again for his ride on Le Tub in Saturday's fifth race, in which the horse caused interference. Stewards added seven days to the penalty, since it was Fuentes' third careless riding infraction in the past 60 days.

The suspension dates will last from Sept. 5 to Oct. 4, though Fuentes will be allowed to ride in designated races.

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