Castanon Is Cleared to Ride, After First Returning to Mexico

Antonio Castanon, the Mexican jockey who was grounded for the last 38 days of Del Mar’s just-completed 43-day racing season, has been cleared to ride by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Castanon’s attorney said Thursday.

Ronald Bonaparte, the jockey’s attorney, said that the INS, which earlier rejected a petition from Castanon for a permit to ride, approved the application Thursday.

Castanon, who rode six winners at the start of the Del Mar season before he was banned by immigration authorities because he lacked the necessary work permit, must go back to Mexico and have the INS clearance stamped on his passport.

Bonaparte said this will be accomplished in the next few days and he estimated that Castanon should resume riding early next week at the Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Pomona.

Castanon, 23, a former standout jockey in Mexico, began riding in California in 1985. He was stuck in bureaucratic red-tape after being banned at Del Mar on Aug. 3.

Bonaparte said the quick action to reinstate Castanon resulted from a story in The Times on Thursday that outlined the jockey’s problems.

Bonaparte: “I got a call from two men from the Los Angeles sheriff’s office after they had seen the story Thursday morning. They had learned that the San Diego INS people had been severe on Antonio because he had submitted some visas that weren’t valid.”

To obtain the visas, Castanon paid a man who said he represented the Mexican counsel. For cooperating in what has been called a fraud case, Castanon received clearance to ride from the INS. The man who sold Castanon the counterfeit visas apparently has returned to Mexico.