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Lopez to Join the Monmouth Riding Colony

Cory Moran, the agent for top Monmouth rider Paco Lopez, informed trainers Thursday by text that his client will begin riding at the meet June 5. Lopez's status had been up in the air as he was considering his options in the face of new rules instituted at Monmouth that ban whipping. Some riders have said they would not ride at Monmouth because they felt the whip ban created unsafe racing conditions.

Lopez will not be riding at Monmouth this weekend, but that is because he has prior commitments to ride at Gulfstream Park. Lopez also has a suspension that needs to be served and has riding engagements in the days ahead at Delaware Park and Belmont. Those are the reasons why he won't be appearing at Monmouth until early next month.

“The unity didn't happen…so Paco does start riding at Monmouth June 5…thanks,” Moran, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, wrote to a number of trainers.

Lopez represents one of the last dominos to fall in what has at times been a bitter dispute between Monmouth's riding colony and the New Jersey Racing Commission, which instituted the new whipping rules. Several riders went on record saying they would not ride at Monmouth this year because of safety concerns. But any attempts there may have been to present a unified front have failed. Once Lopez's name was added to the list of available riders, nine of last year's top 12 jockeys had committed to the meet.

Lopez is a seven-time riding champion at Monmouth and led the standings last year. He had 51 winners, nine more than runner-up Ferrin Peterson.

In a related development, Monmouth has taken action against Antonio Gallardo, one of the riders who has opted to sit out Friday's opener over concerns about the whip rule. He has been suspended indefinitely pending a hearing. Dennis Drazin, the CEO of the management company that operates Monmouth, said that racing secretary John Heims had made the decision to ban Gallardo until a hearing could be held. Joe Bravo, another big name who has decided to sit out the meet, was not suspended. Drazin said that the reason Gallardo was banned and Bravo was not was because Gallardo's agent had accepted calls on the Friday card and had failed to honor them. Bravo will be a Penn National Friday, which means that he would not have been available to ride at Monmouth that day, whip ban or no whip ban.

“We will give him a hearing if he wants to come back,” Drazin said.

It appears that Gallardo's ban is a moot point. When reached by the TDN Thursday, the rider said that he has no intention of riding at the meet under the existing rules. He will ride, instead, at Presque Isle Downs this summer.

“I don't want to ride because I feel it is unsafe,” he said. “If they told me I was welcome to come back, my answer would be no. I don't know how I could ride without a whip. To me, it's like telling a policemen they have to do their job, but can't have a gun to protect themselves. I have nothing against Monmouth Park. I love Monmouth Park and it's like a second home to me. Because of this rule, I just wouldn't feel safe riding there.”

Gallardo was last year's fourth leading rider.

Of last year's top 12, only Bravo and Gallardo will be missing early on at the meet. Jorge Vargas, Jr., who finished ninth in the standings in 2020, will also be absent this weekend, but he has been injured and has not ridden since Mar. 20. Drazin said he recently talked to Bravo, a 13-time winner of the Monmouth riding title, and said “he was emphatic that he will not ride here this year unless the rules are changed.”

Nik Juarez, who nearly beat out Lopez for the riding title in 2019, has also clarified his position. He still has an outstanding suspension to serve, which some believed might keep him out of this weekend's races. But he will ride, which became possible after he secured a stay of his suspension. Juarez may now have the option of taking his days after the meet is over.

With most of the top riders back, concerns that a boycott would hurt handle have lessened greatly. However, handle may be off quite a bit this weekend because there are reports that it will rain heavily on Friday and Saturday, which would mean the races will come off the grass.

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For Second Day of Meet, Monmouth Will Have Plenty of Jockeys, Horses

The Monmouth Park racing office appeared to have no problem attracting horses and jockeys for Saturday's card when entries were taken Thursday. A 12-race card attracted 107 entries and there are 22 jockeys named to ride. There had been concerns that the track would fall short in both categories because some of the top riders have decided to sit out the opening weekend at Monmouth because they are concerned about new rules that prohibit whipping in the races, with the only exception being instances when there are safety concerns.

“We are happy with the way things have worked out,” racing secretary John Heims said. “We have some really good races for Saturday. It is a very nice card.”

When asked if the absence of some of the regular jockeys was making it harder to fill entries, Heims said: “It's not a factor and it wasn't a factor for Friday's card either. I read a lot of what was written and one thing that bothered me was somebody writing that we had to scrounge up these riders. We didn't scrounge up anybody. That's not fair to the guys who wanted to ride and feel comfortable doing so.”

The jockey colony for Saturday will include some notable names who are not scheduled to ride Friday. Ferrin Peterson, second leading rider last year, has four mounts and Nik Juarez, seventh in the standings in 2020 will ride four. Both will sit out Friday's card because they were serving suspensions. Hector Diaz Jr., last year's fifth leading rider, will also join the colony after accepting mounts for Friday at Belmont. Seven of the top 12 riders in 2020 will ride Saturday, the notable exceptions being Joe Bravo and Antonio Gallarado. Leading rider Paco Lopez will also be missing, but will be honoring previous commitments he made to trainers to ride this weekend at Gulfstream Park.

The pool of available riders Saturday also includes New York regular Dylan Davis, who will be riding for, among others, Chad Brown. He has seven mounts. Davis was sidelined earlier this year when breaking his clavicle in a spill and has not ridden since March 20.

While there will be one six-horse field Saturday, there is also a 16-horse race, an 12-horse race and an 11-horse race. Heims said he could have attracted even more horses, but decided to only card four grass races because of the threat of rain Saturday.

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Monmouth Opening Day: 45 Horses, 14 Jockeys, No Whipping & Lots of Controversy

by T.D. Thornton, Bill Finley & Sue Finley

Amid concerns that jockeys would either be protesting Monmouth Park's May 28 opening-day program or not riding at all during the meet because of their concerns over a new state rule that prohibits whipping outside of emergency safety usage, it took until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday for Friday's overnight at Monmouth Park to be released, with six races drawing 45 entrants ridden by 14 jockeys.

Now that Friday's opening day program appears to be a “go,” the looming larger question is what will the jockey colony and field sizes look like in the near future as Monmouth embarks upon a season under a figurative microscope with the New Jersey Racing Commission (NJRC) mandating the most stringent anti-whipping rules on the continent.

Or, put another way, was the light riding colony turnout in the entries just a one-day act of protest, or a sign of a stressful summer to come at the Jersey shore?

“While I understand the jockeys' frustration with the new whip rule and I appreciate the jockeys' concerns that they're putting their lives at risk…the whip rule was created by the New Jersey Racing Commission. It is the law in New Jersey, and there's nothing that Monmouth Park can do about it,” Dennis Drazin, the CEO of the management company that operates the track, told TDN.

“Having said that, I am pleased that we were able to draw the card and get jockeys who were willing to ride to that we can put on the show and not disappoint the public and not create a significant hardship to Monmouth Park by having a financial loss,” Drazin said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Drazin said that he was concerned that certain veteran riders and perhaps even The Jockeys' Guild were pressuring jockeys not to ride. He said there would be “repercussions” if riders or Guild representatives tried to stage a coordinated job action.

Terence Meyocks, the president and chief executive officer of the Jockeys' Guild, told TDN after the overnight came out that the Guild played no role in trying to influence riders on whether or not to accept Monmouth mounts.

“The Guild's position hasn't changed. The rule is dangerous. We've maintained all along that it's not safe for the horses and riders,” Meyocks said. “We have not told one jock [whether to ride at Monmouth or not]. The jocks have made their own opinions whether to ride or not.

“Now, I know a number of riders that felt pressured by the track who decided to ride,” Meyocks continued. “They're willing to risk their lives. Other jocks are just concerned about their safety. We still think it's in the best interest of everybody–the racing commission the track, the horsemen, the owners, the trainers, the jocks, the betting public–to get this rule changed where it's safe and we don't have to worry about litigation.”

The Monmouth colony is expected to get a boost from several riders (Nik Juarez and Ferrin Peterson) who are currently sitting out suspensions, but are expected to accept mounts in New Jersey. Leading rider Paco Lopez will ride at Gulfstream Park on Friday. Then he has to serve an upcoming suspension and accept mounts that have been lined up at Delaware Park and Belmont Park, his agent, Cory Moran, told TDN. A decision on whether to ride at Monmouth will be made after that.

Drazin said he knows Monmouth's top all-time rider, Joe Bravo, is personally committed to sitting out the meet in protest of the strict new whipping regulations, and Drazin said he doesn't expect that decision to change.

But beyond that, Drazin said, “We would expect more jockeys to be willing to ride. I think that jockeys chose the wrong methodology to try and boycott Monmouth Park because of a rule that Monmouth Park did not create. And unfortunately, we had all this controversy, which puts a little bit of a damper on opening day and getting excited for the meet.

“If they're not going to ride [in New Jersey], they probably should choose where they're going to ride and go there instead of trying to get other jockeys not to ride and approaching trainers and asking them not to enter,” Drazin said.

“Look, if a jockey does not want to ride because of the rule and decides to go elsewhere, we can't stop them,” Drazin said. “But jockeys trying to–call it anything you want–set a boycott and engage in conduct that is detrimental to racing could end up having those jockeys get in a lot of trouble, which we certainly did not want to happen.”

Earlier on Tuesday Drazin had explained to TDN how the NJRC could enforce a rule that involves “conduct detrimental to racing,” although it is unclear exactly how or if that regulation pertains to not accepting mounts over a principled boycott.

Also earlier on Tuesday, Drazin had outlined three in-house possibilities that were under consideration for how Monmouth could penalize (or incentivize) riders who were deemed uncooperative or disruptive: 1) A meet-long ban for any rider who boycotted opening day; 2) A civil lawsuit against the Guild and/or individual jockeys to try and recoup lost handle revenue, or 3) Implementing a meet-long jockey-title bonus that would not be available to any riders who chose not to ride on opening day.

But after the overnight came out, Drazin told TDN he was rethinking those options.

“Given that we're able to put the races on and not have to shut Monmouth Park down, I don't probably contemplate there will be a civil lawsuit seeking damages. We'd rather get along with the jocks. And as far as the racing commission taking any action against anybody, that's up to the racing commission. I can't speak for that. But whatever policy [racing secretary] John Heims put in place as to jockeys who refuse to ride will probably stay intact.”

Both Drazin and Meyocks were in agreement on one issue: That New Jersey's controversial whip rule could become a moot point about a year from now when federal oversight mandated by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act is up and running and a uniform, nationwide whipping rule possibly gets put into effect.

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With Whip Ban in Place, Showdown Looms at Monmouth

With 10 days to go before opening day at Monmouth Park, preparations are being made to kick off the 53-day meet that begins May 28. Track officials are ready to go and so are the trainers and about 1,100 horses already stabled at the seaside track.

But who will ride the horses?

That question remained up in the air Tuesday. The New Jersey Racing Commission has passed regulations that will go into effect on opening day that will prevent jockeys from using their whips, except for cases when there are safety concerns. Several jockeys, including 13-time leading rider Joe Bravo, have said that because of the whip ban they will not be riding this meet at Monmouth. They are concerned that the new rule will create potentially dangerous situations during the running of races.

“I can't believe it has come this far,” Bravo said. “They're trying to put us in a situation where we will not be safe. I won't be riding.”

Bravo said he was also concerned about the penalties in place for whip infractions. For the first offense, there will be a fine of $500 plus a five-day suspension and the penalties will increase with each subsequent offense.

“That can get very expensive very quickly,” he said.

Paco Lopez, last year's leading rider, had made earlier plans to ride in Florida at Gulfstream Park opening weekend. His agent Cory Moran said Lopez has not decided what do after the first few days of racing, but added that he “plans to stick with his fellow riders.”

Though some jockeys have yet to make their intentions known, it appears fairly certain that a number of regular riders will be missing come opening day. Under existing labor laws, the jockeys are not permitted to stage an organized boycott. However, any jockey can simply decide to spend their summer riding at another track.

Through the Jockeys' Guild, efforts have been made to have the commission reconsider the rule change, but the issue is not scheduled to come up until a commission meeting this summer, after Monmouth has opened. There doesn't appear to be any avenue to have the rules changed before the opening weekend.

Management is convinced there will be no problem finding enough riders to fill out a card.

“We will have plenty of riders,” said a racing official, who estimated at least 15 jockeys will be available on opening day. The list includes Ferrin Peterson, last year's second leading rider. According to the Asbury Park Press, Tomas Mejia is also planning to ride at the meet.

In 1988, jockeys went on strike at Aqueduct over riding fees, but there was no disruption of racing. Some of the lesser riders on the circuit crossed the picket line to ride and so did a number of riders from out of town. Monmouth has, outside of Belmont Park, the best purses in the Northeast, which may prove irresistible to some jockeys struggling to earn a living.

Meanwhile, Monmouth management is caught in the middle.

“I support the jockeys,” said Dennis Drazin, chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, which operates Monmouth Park. “I'm most concerned about their safety and welfare and I think we need to do everything possible to make sure that they are safe and to prevent injuries.”

Yet, Drazin understands that the track cannot afford to lose any racing dates and he warned the jockeys that if they stage an organized boycott or accept mounts and then refuse to ride they will face a suspension by the racing commission.

“The safety of the jockeys at our racetrack should always come first, but I have no power to change this,” Drazin said. “I can't pick up the phone and make this go away. It is our regulator that adopted this rule.”

Drazin said his biggest concern is that bettors will shy away from Monmouth because the races might prove to be less predicable because jockeys will no longer be allowed to use their whips as a tool to encourage their mounts.

“The whales I have talked to said, 'look, this is going to hurt your handle.'” Drazin said. “They say they support Monmouth, but they're wondering how do you bet a closer in race where the jockeys can't hit them? It concerns me to some extent that the bettors feel this way.”

At least one big bettor who is a regular Monmouth player said the whip rule will have no impact on his total wagering.

“It doesn't bother me because it's fifty-fifty,” said Anthony Altamonte. “Do some horses need it more than others? Probably. But it will even out in the end. The whip also hinders some horses. Sometimes it's noticeable that when you hit a horse they will run out. Some horses don't like it. To me, this won't make any difference. It won't affect my gambling.”

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