Santana Appeals 10-Day Suspension

Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. has appealed a 10-day riding suspension issued by Oaklawn Park stewards for what they deemed to be dangerous riding in the seventh race April 5 at the Hot Springs, Ark., track. His agent, Ruben Munoz, said he submitted the appeal April 11. 

The suspension was for a stretch incident involving Santana on third-place Bank and jockey David Cohen on fourth-place Major Attraction. Race replays show the horses brushing each other, and Santana's right elbow contacting with Cohen. Stewards took no action to disqualify either horse.

In a ruling that appeared on the Association of Racing Commissioners International website, Santana was suspended for "riding carelessly or willfully in a manner that jeopardizes the safety of a horse or jockey and for carelessly or willfully striking or touching another jockey."

Cohen tweeted April 10 that Santana said some "choice words while doing this," calling the action "purely intentional and as malicious as it gets! There is no place for this in Racing (especially) @OaklawnRacing or anywhere. If you want to throw elbows @RSantana_Jr join the @ufc!! or maybe that's not your cup of tea??"

The UFC, or Ultimate Fighting Championship, is mixed martial arts combat.

Cohen was issued an even longer suspension by track stewards last year when they suspended him 60 days for what they felt was the deliberate action of striking another rider with his whip during an Oaklawn race. Cohen contended the contact was accidental.

Cohen rode under appeal, and this year the Arkansas Racing Commission reduced his penalty to five days. 

Munoz said he felt the suspension of Santana was unwarranted and excessive, claiming more than 10 top riders, some Hall of Famers, reached out to tell him they disagreed with the suspension. "'Confused,' 'really,' 'ridiculous,' 'unreal' were their responses," he texted.

Most suspensions in Arkansas for riding infractions are shorter than 10 days. Joe Rocco Jr. was given two days for careless riding in the seventh race April 10 by track stewards, though apprentice Charles Roberts was handed 10 days for an infraction in the sixth race April 5 when another rider was unseated.

Had Santana accepted the suspension, the jockey would have been forced to miss the final stretch of the Oaklawn meet, serving his days from April 17 to May 2, though he would have been able to ride in designated stakes races and then serve a replacement suspension a day later. Rich stakes such as the $750,000 Arkansas Derby (G1) on May 2, the track's closing day, are left on the calendar at Oaklawn, where racing is continuing without spectators during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Jockeys are typically able to ride while awaiting the results of an appeal. Santana's agent booked him to ride seven races Friday in what was the scheduled first day of the suspension.

The 27-year-old jockey, who often teams with Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, did not ride in late March and early April at Oaklawn after the track implemented a quarantine period for anyone who rode, however briefly, at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans, a city hit hard by COVID-19. Santana rode at Fair Grounds on March 21, the day of the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2), and then returned to competition at Oaklawn on April 5.