Lukas in Middle of Jockeys’ Dispute : Agent Claims Trainer Is Favoring Stevens Over Santos

Wayne Lukas, the leading trainer in the country, and Jose Santos, the No. 1 jockey, are at odds in a disagreement that involves Gary Stevens, who is battling Santos for the national riding title.

Frank Sanabria, the agent who books mounts for Santos, said that Lukas has breached an unwritten agreement to use his rider regularly in New York. Sanabria indicated that his rider will now be offering his services to other trainers here.

According to Sanabria, Lukas began using riders other than Santos during the Saratoga meeting in August. Now, Sanabria says, Lukas has taken business away from Santos and given it to Stevens, who has been riding at Belmont Park during the hiatus between the close of Del Mar and the opening of Santa Anita in California.

Santos has won the national money title two straight years, beating out Stevens by only $26,000 in 1986. Based on Daily Racing Form statistics through last Sunday, Stevens leads Santos in races won, 276-244, but in the more important category of purse money, Santos’ horses have earned $10.5 million, for an edge of about $400,000. The Lukas barn, which had led the country in purses for a record five straight years, is a cinch to add a sixth title this year. Lukas’ horses have earned $11 million, more than double his closest rival.

Last Sunday, Stevens finished fourth on Nature’s Gift, a 2-year-colt who had been ridden by Santos in his first three starts.

“I’ve heard that (Sanabria) is unhappy,” Lukas said Thursday from his barn office at Santa Anita. “But I’d be willing to bet that Joe (Santos) will be coming around our barn this afternoon, just like he always does.

“With Pat Day riding in New York, and now Gary, there’s been a lot of pressure to give riders mounts. We don’t marry these guys. If we take them to the dance, we take them home--we have limousines and private jets for them. But after they get off the horse, it’s a new deal.”

Day, a four-time national leader in races won, recently left New York to return to the Midwest. At one point, Day was not welcome to ride horses for Gene Klein, Lukas’ largest owner, because Klein believed that Day, aboard Forty Niner, contributed to the defeat of his Winning Colors in a roughly run Preakness. But Day resumed riding Klein’s horses at Saratoga.

“Our pride has been hurt, and we’re talking about a matter of principle,” Sanabria said. “If you ride No. 1 for a trainer, you should be treated like No. 1. I don’t think Wayne and I understand each other. We’ve hurt some of our other customers (trainers) in order to please Wayne and ride horses of his that we didn’t like as well as some others.

“But now I’m going to have to watch out for my business. Good horses need good jockeys to ride them, and there aren’t a lot of Jose Santoses out there. There are plenty of horses to ride besides Lukas’.”

Santos won the $1-million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with Success Express, a Lukas trainee, last year at Hollywood Park and this year has won stakes with Gulch and Clabber Girl, other horses from Lukas’ barn.

Wednesday at Belmont, Matthews Keep, a colt running for a $100,000 claiming price, finished second under Stevens, who had also ridden him to a second-place finish here Sept. 10. Santos had ridden Matthews Keep early this year, but three jockeys other than Santos rode him before Stevens took over.