jockey suspensions

Eighteen-year-old jockey Axel Concepcion, who is Maryland's top apprentice this year, has been suspended 30 days for "extremely careless" riding in a Sept. 21 race at Delaware Park that resulted in the euthanization of a rival horse that had fallen. The Sept. 28 Delaware stewards' ruling stated that Concepcion failed "to control and guide his mount, Backwoods Boogie (Red Rocks [IRE]), leaving the starting gate, impeding several horses, and causing the horse Trumpence (Eskendereya) to fall, which resulted in a fatal injury to Trumpence. Due to the fallen horse, the...

Without any public discussion among commissioners and in quick succession by unanimous voice vote, the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) Monday enacted a new rule designed to keep jockeys from stalling via filing appeals to get out of serving riding suspensions during the lucrative Saratoga Race Course meet. In similarly brisk fashion, the NYSGC also set into motion Feb. 28 the advancement of a proposed regulation to lift controversial pari-mutuel restrictions related to married jockeys competing in the same race. This measure must come back for a final vote...

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. has been handed a 30-day suspension by the Aqueduct stewards for his ride aboard Gran Casique (Algorithms) in the eighth race on Friday. News of the suspension was confirmed late Sunday by NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna. McKenna said the suspension would begin "some time this week." Aboard Gran Casique, Ortiz came over several paths toward the rail on the run down the backstretch and cut off Ragtime Blues (Union Rags) and apprentice jockey Omar Hernandez Moreno. The infraction was so egregious that the Equibase chart caller...

After racking up three safety-related riding penalties--two of which caused racing accidents within the first four weeks of the meet--jockey Leo Salles has been suspended by the Woodbine Racetrack stewards through Dec. 5. Salles, 27, a Brazilian native who has previously ridden in the Middle East, told the Toronto Sun that he accepted responsibility for the latest accident on July 11 and won't be appealing the ruling, although he did term the suspension as overly harsh. "I think I deserve some days, but I just think it was extreme," Salles...