Carlos Montalvo

Lone Star Park appears ready to resume racing on Saturday, July 16, after the Thursday and Friday programs this week had to be scrapped over jockeys' concerns that a million-dollar insurance policy secured by the track was not sufficient to provide specialized medical care in the event of on-track accidents. Terry Meyocks, the president and chief executive officer of the Jockeys' Guild, confirmed to TDN shortly after 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Friday that, "We're good to go on Saturday. We got the assurances that the jocks will be comfortable with."...

The system, whatever that has come to mean, failed badly last week when Marcus Vitali, one of the sport's most controversial trainers, was allowed to start a horse at Saratoga. Then again, should anyone have been surprised? This was just the latest example of this being a sport that is so dysfunctional, its regulatory systems so weak, that it is completely unable to police itself. Help is on its way. Some day, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) will be implemented and a central body led by the U.S....

Jockey Carlos Montalvo, who used his whip when aboard M I Six (Mission Impazible) in a July 11 race at Monmouth, was handed a five-day suspension and a $500 fine Friday by Monmouth stewards for violating the controversial regulations that largely ban the use of the crop in all thoroughbred races in New Jersey. Montalvo was suspended despite his claims that he felt it was necessary to go to the whip because of safety concerns aboard a horse who was bearing out on the far turn. New Jersey's regulations allow...

Doug Hatten, the agent for Monmouth-based jockey Carlos Montalvo, confirmed that the track stewards have informed his rider that he should be in attendance for a hearing Friday in which he will be asked to explain why he went to the whip aboard race winner M I Six (Mission Impazible) in the first race Sunday. On the far turn, Montalvo clearly struck his horse, which was noted in the footnote of the chart for the race, which read: (M I Six) had the rider go to the whip three times."...