Smith Loses Appeal Against Costly Saudi Cup Judgment

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will serve the remainder of his suspension days and has forfeited more than $200,000 after his appeal of a costly judgment levied against him by authorities in Saudi Arabia was denied.

Smith gave up 60% of his claim to 10% of the $3.5 million in second-place prize money in the $20 million Saudi Cup Feb. 29 at King Abdulaziz Racetrack, for what the Race and Arbitration Committee of the Equestrian Club of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, deemed was excessive use of the whip aboard Midnight Bisou as she rallied to a runner-up finish behind Maximum Security. 

Smith was given an eight-day suspension for using the whip 14 times, above the permitted level of 10. He was given an additional day for using the aid with no regard for the horse's stride, and another two for a weighing-in procedure penalty.

Having already served two suspension days in California (March 6 and 13), Smith had the remaining nine suspension days issued by the California Horse Racing Board, acting in reciprocity with the decision by the chairman of stewards from the Equestrian Club of Riyadh: April 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, and 26. 

"I am not saying I don’t deserve some kind of punishment but the punishment seems way over the top for what the crime was," Smith said. "But it is what it is. I’ll take (the days). I’ll live through it."



Global reciprocity means that, although Smith's home track of Santa Anita Park is currently shut down due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, he will still serve his dates as he is suspended from riding at the few remaining open tracks across the nation, including Golden Gate, Gulfstream Park, or Oaklawn Park. 

All visiting riders involved in the inaugural Saudi Cup meeting were briefed on the whip rules before racing Friday and Saturday at King Abdulaziz, where copies of the rules were displayed in the jockeys' rooms. A guide to the rules was also emailed to participants before they arrived.

Smith, whose record in the world's biggest races has earned him the nickname "Big Money Mike," landed a $30,000 bonus for winning the international jockeys' challenge on the eve of the Saudi Cup card at King Abdulaziz Racetrack, winning two of the four $400,000 legs. He received an additional two-day suspension after failing to weigh in properly following the fifth race that evening.

But Smith said the mistake over the weigh-in was related to confusion over where his mount finished. Jockeys aboard the top-five finishers there must go to the weigh-in, while others go to a different area, but he was uncertain if he had been fifth in a tight finish.

"How was I supposed to know? (They) don't show a photo sign and they don't show down to fifth. The 1-2-3-4 finishers, that's all (they) show," he said in an earlier interview with BloodHorse in the days after the Saudi Cup. "It was a misunderstanding. I didn't duck around the scales or anything. Here in the states, it would have been absolutely nothing."

Smith was not alone in receiving a stiff penalty. Irad Ortiz Jr. was handed an eight-day suspension for excessive use of the whip in the eighth race Feb. 29 and handed another two days for the same offense in the Saudi Cup. The jockey, who rides in Florida most often during March, was also docked 10% of his prize-money share. He also appealed, but began serving his suspension Wednesday, according to agent Steve Rushing.

The appeals were considered by the technical committee, headed by Prince Abdullah bin Khalid bin Sultan.

European rider Oisin Murphy was also handed a two-day suspension for excessive use of the whip aboard Deirdre en route to a second-place finish in the Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors Cup on the Saudi Cup undercard, and Mickaelle Michel received a two-day suspension related to whip rules as well.