alcohol

As a result of failing a breathalyzer test March 31 before the first race at Santa Anita, Kent Desormeaux will now be subjected to a breathalyzer test before every race day and every time he rides a horse in a morning exercise or work, according to a stewards' ruling posted Friday on the California Horse Racing Board's website. A complaint posted on the site April 8 read, "On 3/31/2023, Jockey Kent Desormeaux failed an alcohol breathalyzer test administered by CHRB Investigators at Santa Anita Park prior to riding in the...

When racing returns to Santa Anita Dec. 26, it does so in a blitzkrieg of high-octane firepower, with races like the GI Malibu S., GI La Brea S. and GI American Oaks luring headline grabbers from across the country. As things go, race three on the card--a $16,000 claimer--is a far less exulted companion to its starrier cousins. But the race contains its own prodigal return...that of Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux after a hiatus from the saddle. Still, it's just the sort of low-key call to arms the...