Los Alamitos Jockey Gets Late Reprieve

Jockey Jim Lewis, suspended from racing after failing a drug test in Oregon, was reinstated late Friday afternoon in time to ride in the $106,000 El Primero del Ano Derby, a major stakes race at Los Alamitos.

Executive Director Steve Barham of the Oregon Racing Board said Lewis, ranked No. 11 in national winnings in 1995, tested positive for cocaine and codeine after a race April 13 at Portland Meadows, then refused to answer a May 1 hearing date set by the Oregon Racing Board.

Lewis sued, seeking reinstatement in California, but the suit was denied by a Santa Ana Superior Court judge. Oregon stewards cleared Lewis Thursday after results of a second drug test administered by Los Alamitos stewards were negative. The jockey also agreed to enter a drug education program, a requirement for first-time offenders in Oregon.