Jockeys Discuss Boycott Over Valenzuela’s Return

Opposition to the return of jockey Pat Valenzuela is increasing in the jockeys’ room, to the point that other riders are discussing a boycott.

A Jockeys’ Guild official said Thursday that 30 riders at Hollywood Park -- almost 90% of the track’s jockeys -- considered Valenzuela a safety hazard in a race.

Valenzuela, suspended for the rest of the year by the three state stewards at Santa Anita on April 2, was granted a stay of that ruling last Friday by John Harris, chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, and plans to resume riding at Hollywood Park on Sunday.

Valenzuela, whose career has been halted by drug-related suspensions nine times, says that he suffers from depression. Idle since Jan. 19, Valenzuela failed to appear for a mandatory drug test on Jan. 22, after which the stewards suspended him indefinitely.

During his troubled career, the 41-year-old Valenzuela has become increasingly unpopular among fellow riders but never before has there been an organized protest against his participation. Jockeys have considered boycotting the races at Hollywood Park, although Albert Fiss, vice president of the guild, said that was unlikely to happen.

“That the riders would even think about a boycott shows how upset they are over how the Valenzuela case has been handled,” Fiss said. “But I don’t think such action has gathered any steam at this time.”

Fiss said that 30 jockeys -- all but two of them guild members -- supported a letter presented to the racing board at its monthly meeting Thursday at Hollywood Park. Fiss asked the board to reconsider the stay but was told that even discussion of the case was prohibited because it wasn’t included on the meeting’s agenda.

“It is apparent,” the letter read, “that [Valenzuela’s] mental condition does not qualify him to be a safe racerider and that he is a danger to all jockeys and horses in the races he rides.”

Harris and Roy Wood, executive director of the board, told Fiss they would try to expedite Valenzuela’s appeal. As it is, Valenzuela is allowed to ride under the stay until he has a hearing before an administrative law judge. Harris said last Sunday that it could be months before that hearing was held.

One jockey, Corey Nakatani, said on Sunday that Harris, a leading breeder and horse owner in California, was in conflict of interest in handling the Valenzuela case. Harris sometimes employs Valenzuela as a jockey, and when Valenzuela worked horses at Santa Anita on Wednesday morning, one of them was trained by Carla Gaines, who is Harris’ principal trainer.

Harris has said that there was no conflict and that Valenzuela probably could have obtained a court injunction, anyway. In that event, he added, the board would not have been able to stipulate several conditions it has been able to establish under its stay.

“It is our feeling,” the guild said in its letter to the board, “that Mr. Valenzuela is not mentally fit to resume riding and has not been properly evaluated for both mental capacity and substance abuse.... Should the [racing board] continue to allow Mr. Valenzuela’s presence on the racetrack without clear and convincing evidence of his rehabilitation, we will be forced to hold the [board] responsible and will support any jockey who may become injured by your acts of omission.”

Last year, Valenzuela drew suspensions for riding violations, but he was able to continue riding while most of those suspensions were appealed. The stewards ordered him to sit out the first 13 days of the Santa Anita meet that opened Dec. 26.

Even so, Valenzuela won 287 races in 2003 and his mounts earned $15.6 million. In the first sweep in 20 years, he led all five major Southern California meets in victories.

Valenzuela declined two requests for interviews. His agent, Corey Black, said he would ride three or four horses Sunday, including Makeup Artist in the $100,000 Wilshire Handicap. Many trainers do not share the jockeys’ opposition to Valenzuela’s riding.

“We’re going to hit the ground running,” Black said. “Pat might ride 30 horses in his first six days back. He’s got to build up his business again. We’re very excited, to say the least.”