Discovery of ‘Buzzer,’ Gun Lead To Summary Suspension Of Canterbury Park Jockey

Jockey Denny Velazquez has been summarily suspended by the Minnesota Racing Commission after a prohibited electrical device and a firearm allegedly were discovered during a vehicle search by racing commission personnel on Monday at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn.

Velazquez, 26, is currently third in the jockey standings at Canterbury, with 20 wins from 90 mounts. Prior to riding at the Minnesota track, Velazquez finished third in the rider standings at Turf Paradise in Arizona, where he won 56 races from 379 mounts during the 2019-'20 meet.

A hearing with the board of stewards at Canterbury Park is tentatively scheduled for July 30. Until his appearance Velazquez is denied access to all grounds under the jurisdiction of the Minnesota Racing Commission.

Cited in the ruling issued on Wednesday was Minnesota statute 240.25/Prohibited Acts, which reads in part: “No person may: (a) on the premises of a licensed racetrack use, possess, or knowingly assist another person in using a battery or buzzer, electrical or mechanical, or other device or appliance, which can be  used to affect a horse's racing condition or performance, other than an ordinary whip.

The ruling also cited Minnesota rules concerning possession of a firearm on association grounds and carrying a weapon without a permit.

Steve May, executive director of the Minnesota Racing Commission, said animal cruelty criminal charges also may come in to play in the matter.

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Coronavirus Leads to New Debate on Weights

Throughout the sport, the coronavirus has meant adjustments, For most jockeys, that includes no longer being able to use the “hot box” to take off weight. For several racetracks and racing departments, that has meant a concession to the jockeys in the form of raising the scale of weights.

But will these temporary solutions become permanent when life returns to normal and might eliminating the saunas in jockeys’ quarters ultimately prove to be a solution that helps riders stay healthy? These are questions already being discussed.

The saunas, which many saw as a necessary evil, are a small, confined space where several jockeys might congregate. With social distancing a means to combat the virus, tracks had no choice but to shut them down. Jockeys’ Guild President and CEO Terry Meyocks estimates that 75% of all jockeys go into the box before riding to shed a few pounds. For them, losing access to the hot box could have been a serious problem, but several tracks stepped in and allowed jockeys to ride at higher weights. It started at Gulfstream, where three pounds were added to what would have been the weight a horse carried in the pre-COVID-19 world.

“I think Gulfstream had the right idea,” jockey Tyler Gaffalione said. “With social distancing and wanting to keep everyone spread out, going into the hot box and to be in a confined area with numerous other guys is too risky. Tracks have done the right thing helping us jockeys.”

Monmouth Park has also added three pounds to the weight a horse carries and the least any journeyman jockey carried on the card that featured the GI Haskell S. was 118 pounds. With NYRA not yet making any adjustments to the weights, jockeys at Saratoga have taken matters into their own hands. No matter how much weight their horse is assigned, no journeyman jockey will ride at less than 120 pounds. Jockeys who can ride at a lighter weight will make sure that they are overweight, oftentimes by using a heavier saddle than they would normally use.

Changes have also been made overseas. In Ireland, two pounds have been added to the scale of weights. In Australia, they added one kilogram, the equivalent of 2.2 pounds.

For now, the days of seeing a journeyman rider having to make 114 or 115 pounds have disappeared.

“You have to be happy with this,” said Monmouth regular Antonio Gallardo. “I don’t mind having to lose weight. We used to be able to go in the hot box or use a gym. You can jog outside, but what happens when it rains or it’s too hot or cold? Then you don’t have anything and how can you lose weight? You really need something. There are some jockeys who are really light. They don’t care. But what about the rest of the jockeys? When you do 116, that means when you are naked you have to weigh 113 or 112 to do that. Only bug boys can do that. It would be great if the minimum weight was always 118.”

Jockeys are obviously pleased to be able to tack on a few extra pounds and the changes haven’t led to any noticeable backlash from trainers, owners or gamblers. Many seem to not have even noticed that the weights have changed. The Jockeys’ Guild and its members have long been campaigning for tracks to raise the scale of weights and Meyocks said the issue is not going to go away.

“It’s always been on our list to have the scale of weights raised,” he said. “For the most part, tracks have done that. Is it 100% where we’d like it to be? No. We understand you can’t continue to increase them and increase them more. There is a fine line. We have a situation at the NYRA tracks where there are only three or four jockeys who can do 116 without having to pull weight. These kids coming up are bigger now than they ever were.”

Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. said he’d be all for maintaining the weights at current levels once the hot boxes are re-opened.

“Everybody has dealt with it and nobody is complaining about it,” he said. “It’s been a positive thing for everyone. We’ve all been able to maintain our weight and those couple of extra pounds has really helped some people.”

In Europe, the coronavirus forced the sport to look at whether or not providing easy access to a hot box is ultimately the right thing to do.

“We’ve been wanting to remove saunas from the racecourse environment for some time and for various reasons we haven’t,” Lisa Hancock, the president of the Injured Jockeys Fund told the TDN.  “Now, the jockeys can’t use the saunas and they’re finding they don’t need them and there are much better and healthier ways of maintaining appropriate weight. It’s things like that that we’ll be really trying to keep as the new norm. I think there are some real benefits to the restrictions and we’ll hopefully take some good points away from it. As things get back to normal we’ll hopefully create a new normal that might even be a little bit better.”

Hernandez said he sees, with the saunas shut down, more jockeys taking better care of themselves.

“We’ve all been doing what we have to do with no hot box,” he said. “People are using different methods. Guys are exercising more and watching their weight better. Everyone is trying to make adjustments to the situation.”

There’s little doubt that spending too much time in the hot box can have a negative impact on the physical and mental health of a jockey. It can’t be easy to ride, particularly on a hot day, after dehydrating yourself. In some cases, it has been fatal. A handful over the years have died from the effects of reducing and starving themselves.

Is there a solution that works for everyone? Would tracks be willing to raise the scale of weights permanently if jockeys agreed to have the saunas removed from their quarters?

“I don’t know,” said Joe Bravo. “I wasn’t a guy sitting in there hours on end but it was an everyday thing for me. If they took it away I’d miss it.”

Gaffalione is open to the idea.

“It would be an adjustment,” he said. “If you look into the science of it, it might be good having fewer people having to reduce and lose that much weight in a day then have to perform in 90 degree weather. That has to be a health risk.”

Gaffalione is lucky in that he doesn’t have to take drastic measures in order to ride. But what of those that do? For now, they are getting a break, sometimes as much as three pounds. Where this goes after the coronavirus has stopped upending everyone’s life is a question that has yet to be answered.

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Colonial Downs Adjusts To Spectator-Free Racing, Implements Jockey Restrictions

In light of the unprecedented pandemic impacting all walks of life and industries, Colonial Downs Group, a subsidiary of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, announced today that it will alter course from hosting limited spectators to a “spectator-free” racing program for the 2020 race meet, which opens Monday, July 27.

The decision to conduct the meeting without spectators is at the request of the Virginia Racing Commission (VRC) and the Virginia Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (V-HBPA). . The change to “spectator free” racing is out of an abundance of caution and enables Colonial Downs to focus extra care towards key operating areas, such as the jockeys' quarters, paddock supervision, racing office and the stabling area.

“We accept the position of our industry partners that adjusting to spectator-free racing is ultimately best for protecting the health and safety of our racing participants,” said John Marshall, Executive Vice President of Operations for Colonial Downs.  “Our team is prepared to deliver a quality racing product while ensuring a safely run meet, which is our chief objective.”

Colonial Downs joins the group of major racetracks in the region racing without spectators including Saratoga, Laurel Park and Penn National. Spectators will not be permitted on the outdoor apron or the grandstand seats, and the 4th floor restaurant (1609) and suites will remain closed.

The 2020 Colonial Downs meeting will be conducted on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings, with first post time at 5:30 p.m. ET. The meeting will conclude on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

“Our horsemen fully support the decision to conduct racing without fans at Colonial this summer, otherwise the public health risk is too great,” said Frank Petramalo, Jr., Executive Director of V-HBPA. “There is a bright spot — all our races will be televised live on the TVG network, and people can wager on TVG or on other on-line sites.”

Fans are encouraged to watch Colonial Downs live on TVG channel 718 Xfinity, 399 Dish or 602 Direct TV, and wager by setting up an account on www.tvg.com.

As part of the protocols for jockeys participating in the upcoming meeting, Colonial Downs has established the following procedures:

  • Jockeys must provide a negative Covid-19 test before arriving on Colonial Downs grounds for the first time, and the test must have been taken since last riding elsewhere.
  • Jockeys who leave Colonial Downs to ride elsewhere, or enter another racetracks jockey's quarters, will not be permitted to return to Colonial Downs unless they self-quarantine for 14 days and obtain and provide a negative Covid-19 test.

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Montanez Recovering From Back Surgery After Laurel Park Spill

Jockey Rosario Montanez, an Eclipse Award finalist as the top apprentice of 2011, is recovering from successful back surgery Saturday to repair what agent Joe Rocco Sr. said were several fractures following a spill in Friday's first race at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

Montanez, a 28-year-old San Diego native, was unseated when his mount, 4-year-old filly Hendaya, clipped heels and fell leaving the backstretch of a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint for filly and mare claimers 3 and up. Jockey Angel Cruz, aboard Annie Boo Boo, jumped to avoid the fallen horse and rider before ultimately easing his horse, while Hendaya was able to get up and jog off the turf course.

Surgery was performed Saturday morning at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Rocco, a former jockey who won more than 3,700 races from 1979-2011, visited the hospital and was also getting updates from Montanez's sister-in-law, Laurel-based apprentice rider Rebecca Grace LaBarre.

“She said the surgery went well,” Rocco said. “He's out of surgery. They said he had like six broken bones in his back. They didn't give me the specifics, but they said he also broke his neck somewhere but they think it will heal on its own. I feel so bad for the boy.”

A career winner of 609 races and more than $18.8 million in purse earnings since 2010, Montanez missed 20 months after suffering a concussion, fractured rib and pelvis, and head lacerations that required a plate to be surgically inserted in his face after a July 2014 spill at Saratoga, returning to the irons in March 2016.

Riding primarily in Maryland, Montanez had seven wins from 77 mounts in 2020. A multiple stakes-winning jockey, he was aboard Happy Lantern for Hall of Fame trainer King Leatherbury's 6,500th career victory Sept. 22, 2018, at Laurel.

Rocco praised Montanez's talent and work ethic, particularly during Maryland's pause in live racing from mid-March to May 30 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“I love him,” Rocco said. “I love him. I was a jockey for 40 years. He's probably one of the most determined kids I ever met, and I was very determined. He worked every day during the virus. Every day. It's unreal. I feel terrible.”

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