GoFundMe Created for Injured Handal Assistant Mejia

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched for Ray Handal's longtime assistant trainer Jose Mejia, who incurred multiple injuries during a training accident Sunday at Turfway Park.

Handal's traveling assistant was unseated from his mount, who stumbled and landed on top of him, causing the 33-year-old Mejia to incur 10 broken ribs and four broken vertebrae. Handal said Mejia has undergone surgery but currently has no feeling below his ribcage.

“He's a great guy and has given us so much. He's like a brother to me,” Handal said. “He's been with me since I started training about six years ago. He's the first rider I hired when I started. He's a tough guy and no matter what, he's always going to be a part of the Handal racing team.”

Mejia is receiving additional help from The Jockey Club's Safety Net Foundation and Handal said he is also forming plans with some of his owners for an online auction to raise further funds for Mejia.

“Jose has been so important to the barn and has put so much into the horses that race for us. It's good to see people coming together to help,” Handal said.

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Ice Storm: Oaklawn Cancels Weekend Racing, Adds Dates In March

Due to the wintery weather spreading across the United States, Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. has cancelled racing from Friday, Feb. 4 through Sunday, Feb. 6.

The Grade 3, $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes will be moved to Saturday, Feb. 12, sharing the card with the Razorback Handicap.

Dates have been added to Oaklawn's schedule on three Thursdays during the month of March: Mar. 17, Mar. 24, and Mar 31.

Both Sam Houston Race Park in Texas and Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. also cancelled their Thursday cards due to lingering effects of winter weather.

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Longtime Handal Assistant Jose Mejia Suffers Severe Injuries In Morning Spill At Turfway Park

Longtime assistant to trainer Raymond Handal, Jose Mejia suffered severe injuries in a Sunday morning spill at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.

According to Handal's Facebook post and a GoFundMe page, Mejia's mount stumbled and went down, landing on top of him. The 33-year-old assistant had to be airlifted to the hospital and was found to have incurred 10 broken ribs as well as four broken vertebrae in his spine.

Mejia underwent surgery to fuse the spine with rods and screws, and still has no feeling below his ribcage. Doctors are unsure whether that feeling will return.

“Anyone that is familiar with Handal Racing knows that Jose Mejia has been an integral part of the operation from almost the very beginning,” Handal wrote. “He's a hard worker, a team player, and most recently has been the ring leader of our strings on the road at Monmouth and Turfway.”

On Handal's website, Mejia is listed as the “Traveling Assistant” in charge of ensuring that “horses are safe and happy when they are required to travel away from their home track in order to race,” and the man in charge of the barn's shed row at Saratoga Race Course.

On Steve Byk's At The Races show Wednesday, Handal explained the incident further.

“It was just an unfortunate incident,” Handal said. “The track had closed for a couple days, and the first day that it reopened he was just doing a routine gallop with one of the horses there at Turfway. The horse switched to his right lead down the backside right around the three-quarters, took a funky step and stumbled. Jose tried to kind of take his head up a little bit, to try to help him recover like you would, but he just had too much momentum going forward. He went down and rolled over on top of him. It was a pretty horrific scene.”

The horse escaped the incident unscathed, getting to his feet and shortly thereafter was corralled by the outriders.

Mejia, however, did not move, and wound up requiring an airlift to the hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“He's been with me since the beginning, since I started training,” Handal explained (his career began in 2014). “He's just devoted himself and given so much to me and to our team and to so many different horses over the years, he's just gone above and beyond.”

Mejia's 7-year-old daughter, Callie, was staying with her mother in Connecticut over the weekend.

The Jockey Club's Safety Net Foundation responded to Handal's social media post, explaining that the organization is available to help fund Mejia's recovery.

The GoFundMe page to aide in Mejia's recovery is available here.

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Weekly Stewards and Commissions Rulings: Jan. 25-31

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky.

Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public and where.

CALIFORNIA

Track: Santa Anita

Date: 01/28/2022

Licensee: Richard Dean Greenman, trainer

Penalty: Required to participate in a fitness for licensure hearing before being permitted to get re-licensed (his license having expired in August of last year).

Violation: N/A

Explainer: Acting on an Order of Remand from the California Horse Racing Board DMTD Ruling #28 issued August 1, 2021, is amended as follows: Pursuant to CHRB rule #1900 (Grounds For Suspension Or Revocation) Trainer Richard Dean Greenman is suspended for 30 Days (August 19, 2021 through September 7, 2021–already served) for violation of CHRB rule #1874 (Disorderly Conduct–detrimental behavior) on March 3, 4 and 5, 2021, at Santa Anita Park. Further, Richard Dean Greenman must participate in a fitness for licensure hearing before being permitted to apply for a California Horse Racing Board Trainer's License.

Track: Santa Anita

Date: 01/28/2022

Licensee: Ruben Valdes, owner

Penalty: Suspended license

Violation: Failure to appear at hearing for non-payment of bill

Explainer: Owner Ruben Valdes, having failed to respond to written notice to appear before the Board of Stewards at Santa Anita Park on or before January 27, 2022, is hereby suspended for violation of California Horse Racing Board rule #1547 (Failure to Appear) pending an appearance at a hearing before a Board of Stewards to answer charges alleging violation of CHRB rule #1876 (Financial Responsibility–$4,240 to K.C. Transport). During the term of suspension, all licenses and license privileges of Ruben Valdes are suspended and pursuant to California Horse Racing Board rule #1528 (Jurisdiction of Stewards), subject is denied access to all premises in this jurisdiction.

Track: Santa Anita

Date: 01/30/2022

Licensee: Abel Cedillo, jockey

Penalty: $750 fine

Violation: Excessive use of the riding crop

Explainer: Jockey Abel Cedillo is fined $750.00 for violation of California Horse Racing Board Rule #1688(b)(8) (Use of Riding Crop–more than six times in succession during a race–second offense in the last sixty (60) days) during the eighth race at Santa Anita Park on January 29, 2022.

KENTUCKY

Track: Turfway Park

Date: 01/25/2022

Licensee: Wesley Ward, trainer

Penalty: Thirty-day suspension (15 days stayed), and $500 fine

Violation: Medication overage

Explainer: Upon receipt of notification from Industrial Laboratories, the official testing laboratory for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and confirmed at Texas A & M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, sample number E418071 taken from Averly Jane, who finished first in the ninth race at Churchill Downs on April 28, 2021 contained Metformin in blood (Class 8). After a formal hearing before the Board of Stewards, Wesley A. Ward is hereby suspended 30 days and fined $500.00. Due to mitigating circumstances (number of violations in relation to overall record), 15 days are to be served from January 26, 2022 through February 9, 2022 (inclusive). The remaining 15 days are stayed on the condition that no Class A or Class 8 medication violation occurs in any racing jurisdiction within 365 days from the date of this ruling. Averly Jane is disqualified and all purse money forfeited. Pari-mutuel wagering is not affected by this ruling. During his suspension Mr. Ward is denied the privileges of all facilities under the jurisdiction of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. Entry of all horses owned or trained by Mr. Ward is denied pending transfer to persons acceptable to the stewards. Upon receipt of this ruling, it is required within 30 days to pay any and all fines imposed to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

Read the TDN story on the matter here.

NEW YORK

Track: Aqueduct

Date: 01/28/2022

Licensee: Heman Harkie, jockey

Penalty: Three-day suspension

Violation: Careless riding

Explainer: For having waived his right to appeal Jockey Heman Harkie is hereby suspended three NYRA racing days January 29th 2022, January 30th 2022 and February 3rd 2022 inclusive. This for careless riding during the running of the seventh race at Aqueduct racetrack on January 27th 2022.

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