Jockeys Not Pleased by Return of Valenzuela

A number of Santa Anita jockeys are unhappy with the decision to allow Pat Valenzuela to resume riding next Sunday at Hollywood Park, and as a group they may take their complaint to the California Horse Racing Board.

Jockey Corey Nakatani said John Harris, the racing board chairman, had a conflict of interest when he issued Valenzuela a temporary stay of a stewards’ ruling last Friday. Harris is a prominent California breeder and owner who has occasionally used Valenzuela to ride his horses. Before the stay, Valenzuela had been banned from riding by the three Santa Anita stewards for the rest of the year, for failing to appear for a January drug test.

“[Valenzuela] has ridden a lot of horses for [Harris], and [Harris] should have had no business in this decision,” Nakatani said. “[Valenzuela] is a known drug user who doesn’t deserve to be allowed back. Why didn’t he come in for the test, if there was no problem? He had a contract [with the racing board] to be tested, and he didn’t test, and that’s a violation of the contract. That should be the end of it. He’s had too many chances.”

Reached by phone, Valenzuela said he had promised the racing board that he would not discuss his case with the media until Wednesday.

Valenzuela is one of racing’s best riders -- a Kentucky Derby win with Sunday Silence, seven Breeders’ Cup wins -- but nine times his career has been interrupted by drug-related suspensions and he has tested positive for drugs at least four times.

Harris said he believed that Valenzuela’s current problems were related to clinical depression, not drugs. He said Valenzuela had passed about 180 drug tests since last testing positive early in 2000. Harris said that under terms of the stay, which require that Valenzuela undergo board-monitored rehabilitation for his depression, the 41-year-old would be able to ride until his case goes before an administrative law judge, which could be months from now.

“I don’t see what I did as a conflict of interest,” Harris said. “If this had been a case involving a trainer whom I employed on a full-time basis, then I would have recused myself. But our stable uses a lot of jockeys -- almost all of them -- and they’re independent contractors. I think my position in the industry only strengthens the board. I don’t see that I was conflicted in what I did regarding Valenzuela, and I believe I was able to be totally objective.”

Harris said that had Valenzuela gone to court, he probably would have obtained a stay that would have given the racing board less control over him as the process played out.

“This is an atrocity, letting him come back and ride,” jockey Danny Sorenson said. “It’s a black-eye for racing, and [Harris] has handcuffed the stewards by what he’s done. [Valenzuela] keeps breaching the rules, and all that happens is that he’s allowed to keep coming back.

“Nobody questions his ability, but how about his concern for others? It’s not fair to the rest of the riders that we have to compete against him not knowing what condition he’s in.”

One of the stewards, Ingrid Fermin, defended their extension of a temporary suspension that Valenzuela had received in January. After a hearing with Valenzuela in late March, the stewards ruled that he could not re-apply for a license until next year.

“Pat had a conditional license to ride, and he violated the terms of that license,” Fermin said. “We took our action as the result of that.”

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Favored Meteor Storm, ridden by Jose Valdivia Jr. and trained by Wally Dollase, won the $250,000 San Juan Capistrano Handicap by 1 1/2 lengths over Rhythm Mad as Santa Anita closed out its 84-day meet.... Glick, ridden by Alex Solis, won the $107,300 San Simeon Handicap. Glick’s trainer, Jeff Mullins, also finished second with Cayoke. Mullins was the meet’s leading trainer with 45 wins, three more than Doug O’Neill. Mullins is the first trainer other than Bob Baffert to lead a Santa Anita meet since 1996. Victor Espinoza won the riding title with 89 wins, 10 more than Solis.

Santa Anita reversed a five-year trend with an average-attendance gain, but overall betting was down from last season. Daily crowds at the track averaged 8,900, a pickup of 3%. On-track betting was virtually even, at $2.2 million a day, and phone and Internet betting grew 22.5% to $721,033, but out-of-state wagering was down 9%. Total betting, which averaged $10.6 million, dropped 3.4%. Contributing to the track’s out-of-state decline was a TV signal that’s available to only about 1.5 million subscribers nationwide.... Hollywood Park’s 65-day meet begins Wednesday.

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Meet at a Glance

What: Hollywood Park thoroughbred race meet.

* When: Wednesday through July 18. Racing Wednesday through Sunday, except June 2, July 7. Additional days on May 31, July 5.

* First post: 1:20 p.m. Fridays, 7:05 p.m. except 1:20 p.m. on April 30. Noon on July 3.

* Stakes highlights: Saturday, California Gold Rush Day (10 races for California-breds worth $1.25 million); May 8, $150,000 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap, $350,000 Jim Murray Memorial Handicap, $150,000 Los Angeles Times Handicap; May 9, $250,000 Vanity Handicap; May 31, $350,000 Gamely Handicap, $350,000 Shoemaker Mile; June 12, $350,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap, $250,000 Californian; July 3, $750,000 American Oaks, $300,000 Triple Bend Handicap; July 4, $150,000 American Handicap; July 10, $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup, $400,000 Swaps, $150,000 A Gleam Handicap; July 11, $250,000 Milady Handicap; July 18, $150,000 Sunset Handicap.

* Last season’s leaders: Trainer Doug O’Neill, 37 wins; jockey Pat Valenzuela, 81 wins.

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Triple Crown Ratings

Tribune Co. ratings for 3-year-olds leading up to the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes:

Triple Crown panel: Bill Christine, Los Angeles Times; Dave Joseph, South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Tom Keyser, Baltimore Sun; Neil Milbert, Chicago Tribune; Paul Moran, Newsday.