stewards

When 2023 GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner White Abarrio (Race Day) was scratched in the moments before the field loaded into the starting gate for Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar, it was on the recommendation of the on-track veterinarian in a call to the stewards. Some of the horse's connections--comprised of C2 Racing Stable, Gary Barber, and La Milagrosa Stable--have been vocal on social media and in the media in the days since about their disagreement with the call. Tuesday afternoon, C2 Racing Stable posted the...

Marvin Rafael Fernandez, a 35-year-old apprentice jockey at Delaware Park who rode a 228-1 shot to a third-place finish while beaten only half a length last Thursday, had his license rescinded the next day by that track's stewards, who determined that over the course of three probationary races Oct. 15 and 16 in which Fernandez twice finished in the money, his "performance was not satisfactory to the standards required to hold the license." Fernandez, who has five lifetime mounts in 2024-25 and had been riding last week under "temporary" licensure...

Following a review of his ride from race two at Belterra Thursday, Aug, 21, current leading local jockey Albin Jimenez has been suspended for one year by the Belterra Park board of stewards. The race in question featured Jimenez failing to put forth his best effort aboard 3-5 Afleet Vintage (Afleet Alex) where he ultimately wound up second. The winner, Permit to Carry, was ridden by Summer Pauly. The stewards looked at the race following a request from Afleet Vintage's trainer Tommy Drury who was unhappy with Jimenez's ride.  ...

John Velazquez, the winningest jockey in the history of Saratoga Race Course, will serve a three-day "careless riding" suspension this coming Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday stemming from the disqualification of his mount from a win in the sixth race there Aug. 17. Velazquez waived his right to an appeal, according to an Aug. 20 stewards' ruling posted on the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) website. The race in which Velazquez got disqualified was a $100,000 maiden special weight turf route for 2-year-olds. He was aboard first-timer Scope (Gun Runner),...

The New York Gaming Commission steward at Saratoga, Braulio Baeza Jr., rules with an iron first. Make any mistake, no matter how small, inadvertent or innocent, and you will be penalized, fined as much as $4,000. Just ask trainer Gary Contessa, clocker Richie Glazer, former senior vice president of racing operations Frank Gabriel Jr., racing secretary Keith Doleshel and Assistant Racing Secretary Rob MacLennan. Each one made what amounted to an innocent and minor mistake and they paid a hefty price. There are, of course, three stewards. But the Gaming...

Flavien Prat has been suspended by the Saratoga stewards for three days as a result of his ride aboard race favorite Zulu Kingdom (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) in Friday's GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes. Though Prat crossed the line 1 1/2-lengths in front of runner up Luther (GB) (Frankel {GB}), he was ultimately disqualified from the win for causing what the stewards deemed as interference on the first turn of the one-mile race. Joel Rosario, the jockey aboard Luther, lodged an objection following the race and the...

Thistledown Racino in Ohio fired its track superintendent on Monday, and management at the Cleveland-area track has brought in outside racing surface consultants and is working with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) in the aftermath of four lost days of racing and training this week because of escalating safety concerns with the dirt surface. But Sean Wright, who was only on the superintendent's job four months before his abrupt termination July 21, told TDN in a Wednesday phone interview that Thistledown's troubles on its one-mile dirt oval extend...

Neither jockey Flavien Prat or Umberto Rispoli will be sanctioned for their rides in a roughly run renewal of last Saturday's GI Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. Prat was aboard Goal Oriented (Not This Time) while Rispoli guided home the dramatic winner Journalism (Curlin). The two banged into each other in a much-discussed incident in upper stretch and impeded Clever Again (American Pharaoh). Journalism went on to run down longshot Gosger (Nyquist) in improbable fashion by a half-length. Goal Oriented finished fourth, while the pacesetting Clever Again tired to finish last...

The stewards at Charles Town Races on Wednesday issued a ruling that will not impose penalties against the licensure of trainer Curtis Bass after deeming that a "trace level" of a cocaine metabolite detected in a $5,000 claiming mare who won Apr. 10 was the result of "inadvertent exposure" to that drug. It's the second time in eight months that the Charles Town stewards have made that type of  determination on a cocaine positive, disqualifying the winning horse but not penalizing the trainer. Although West Virginia's Thoroughbred medication testing and...

The lawyer for New York-based trainer Gary Contessa said the veteran conditioner is considering his options after the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) ruled on Monday to reduce a $4,000 stewards' fine to $1,500 for his violation last autumn of a state "claiming jail" rule. Contessa was initially fined Oct. 17 after he ran Answer the Call (Dialed In) in a Sept. 25 claiming race at Delaware Park. He had claimed that filly out of an Aug. 4 race at Saratoga and believed she would be allowed to run...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the HIWU "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 09/10/2024 Licensee: Joe Tye, trainer Penalty: A written Reprimand (per 9/26/23 HISA Guidance). Final decision by HIWU. Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Omeprazole (GastroGard)-controlled Medication (Class C)--in a sample taken from Wear the Crown on 7/26/24. Date: 09/10/2024...

Finger Lakes-based jockey Christian J. Navarro has been suspended 30 days and fined $1,000 for alleged violations of a New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) rule that prohibits jockeys from betting on races unless they wager "through the owner of and on the horse that such jockey rides." Beyond stating that Navarro's alleged offenses occurred Nov. 22, 2023, (the closing date of last year's Finger Lakes season) details were scant on the NYSGC's online rulings portal. TDN sent a Monday afternoon email to Brad Maione, the NYSGC's communications director, asking...