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Two Jockeys Suspended For Roles In Accident Causing Seven-Horse Spill At Del Mar

Jockeys Jose Valdivia, Jr. and Diego Herrera (apprentice) have each been issued suspensions by the Del Mar stewards, reports the Daily Racing Form, for their roles in an incident that caused a seven-horse spill and resulting “no contest” in last Sunday's seventh race.

Sassy Chasey (Herrera) was racing in third, in between frontrunners Katie's Paradise (Valdivia) to the outside and Scream and Shout along the rail when she appeared to clip the heels of Katie's Paradise and went down, setting off the chain reaction that involved Backtoflash and Cesar Ortega; Whiskey Blue and Kyle Frey; Siena Silk and Emily Ellingwood; Renegade Princess and Tyler Baze; Phoenix Tears and Tiago Pereira; and Corners Up and Juan Espinoza.

Miraculously, there were no serious injuries among jockeys or horses, with four riders going to a local hospital for evaluation before being discharged. Among the seven horses, there were only a few lacerations that required stitches. All were back in their stalls Sunday night.

Valdivia received a 10-day suspension, and Herrera received five days. Herrera's agent, Vince DeGregory, said the apprentice jockey does not plan to appeal. However, Valdivia's agent, Nick Hines, is planning an appeal.

“What can you say?” Hines told DRF. “Ultra-surprised and flabbergasted, to single Jose out when the rider who clipped heels admitted fault. They've made Jose out to be doubly responsible.”

Standardbred Owners File Suit Against Gural, Meadowlands For Exclusion Due To Allard Association

The following statement was released by the Meadowlands, Tioga and Vernon Downs and Jeff Gural on Friday, Aug. 27.

The Meadowlands, Tioga and Vernon Downs and Jeff Gural have been named in a lawsuit initiated by a number of Standardbred owners who allege to have been excluded from racing at the three tracks as a result of their patronage of trainer Rene Allard.

Allard was among more than 30 racing related individuals indicted and arrested in March 2020 by the United States Department of Justice for offenses relating to the systematic and covert administration of illegal performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to racehorses. He was later included in a superseding indictment filed in federal court in December 2020. The charges remain pending.

The plaintiffs named are Kapildeo Singh, Lawrence Dumain, Ira and Brian Wallach, Yves Sarrazin, Erlin Hill, Bruce Soulsby and Alan Weisenberg, who in their complaint admit that they have an interest in horses stabled by Allard in Florida over the winter of 2020-2021. The complaint alleges that the plaintiffs were the victims of a conspiracy by Gural to exclude their horses from racing at the three tracks to gain a “competitive advantage.”

“It's a little discouraging that when you're trying to clean up the drug problem, we now have to hire an expensive lawyer to defend us against this lawsuit, which essentially calls me dishonest,” said Meadowlands President Jeff Gural. “Worse yet, we get no cooperation from the horsemen who love to complain about the drugs but don't lift a finger to help us catch the perpetrators. The lawsuit is without merit. We will vigorously defend against these allegations and look forward to being vindicated in court.”

According to ustrottingnews.com, the complain was filed on Aug. 23 in the U.S. District Court Northern District of New York. An initial conference before Magistrate Judge Miroslav Lovric has been set for Nov. 24, 2021 at 10 a.m. via teleconference.

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Jockeys And Jeans Fundraiser At Monmouth To Be Sponsored By Caesars Entertainment

Jockeys and Jeans, a volunteer group dedicated to raising funds for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), has named Caesars Entertainment Inc. as the presenting sponsor for its 7th annual fundraising event on Sept. 11 at Monmouth Park.

Founded in 2014 by five former jockeys, Jockeys and Jeans has raised more than $1.6 million to benefit the PDJF through a yearly stallion season sale and its annual fundraising event. The PDJF pays a monthly stipend to more than 60 former jockeys who suffered career-ending injuries, including many whose injuries left them paralyzed.

“As a company tightly aligned with horse racing, it was important for us to get involved with Jockeys and Jeans,” said Joe Morris, Senior Vice President of Racing at Caesars Entertainment. “Its mission to give back to former jockeys is an important one, and we're proud to serve as a presenting sponsor of their annual fundraising event to honor the legacy of so many great jockeys who love this sport.”

This year's event is expected to attract more than a dozen Hall of Fame jockeys to honor seven of their fallen brothers and sisters. There will be silent and live auctions of racing-related memorabilia and autograph sessions throughout the event. All funds generated will go directly to the PDJF to benefit injured former jockeys.

“Caesars Entertainment has stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam home run for disabled former jockeys,” said Barry Pearl, President of Jockeys and Jeans. “This is a watershed moment in the evolution of our group. I'm happy to say to every injured former jockey in the United States that Caesars Entertainment truly cares.”

The upcoming Jockeys and Jeans fundraiser will be held at the Turf Club at Monmouth Park, the first time the track will serve as the host. The event starts at 11:30 a.m., and tickets can be purchased at seatgeek.com/monmouth.

For further information contact Barry Pearl at jockeysandjeans@gmail.com or by calling (717) 503-0182, or Eddie Donnally at Edjockeysandjeans@gmail.com, or by calling (818) 653-3711.

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Thoroughbred Safety Committee Revises Recommendation For Voided Claims

The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Safety Committee (TSC) announced today a revision to its recommendation titled, “Timing of Title Transfer with Claimed Horses,” which regards voiding claims of horses injured during a race. The TSC first announced a recommendation for voided claim rules at the 2012 Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing.

The revision calls for enabling a claim to be voided by the claimant if the claimed horse is placed on the official veterinarian's list due to the horse's exhibiting signs of unsoundness, lameness, or epistaxis within one hour of the race's being declared official.

“Research by Dr. Tim Parkin, head of Bristol Veterinary School and a consultant on the Equine Injury Database, indicates that racetracks that enforce void claim rules have significantly lower incidences of racing fatalities per 1,000 starts when compared to tracks without void claim rules,” said Matt Iuliano, executive vice president and executive director, The Jockey Club. (The full presentation by Dr. Parkin on the subject can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9Aa2_inAgU&t=2s).

The full text of the void claim recommendation revision, as well as the complete list of recommendations by the TSC, can be found at http://jockeyclub.com/default.asp?section=Advocacy&area=14.

The TSC was created in May 2008 to review every facet of equine health and to recommend actions the industry can take to improve the health and safety of Thoroughbreds. The committee convenes to review myriad safety issues with a cross section of industry representatives, including jockeys, trainers, veterinarians, chemists, pedigree experts, handicappers, owners, breeders, blacksmiths, racing commissioners, racetrack executives, and geneticists.

Committee members are Craig R. Fravel (chairman), Dr. Rick Arthur, James G. (Jimmy) Bell, Dr. Larry Bramlage, Dell Hancock, Jim Lawson, Christopher J. McCarron, Dr. Hiram C. Polk Jr., Tom Robbins, and Jaime Roth. Each is a member of The Jockey Club.

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club, directly or through subsidiaries, provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives, and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms. It founded America's Best Racing (americasbestracing.net), the broad-based fan development initiative for Thoroughbred racing, and in partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, operates OwnerView (ownerview.com), the ownership resource. Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.

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