Mountaineer Jockey Serrano Suspended After Drug Test

Jockey Keivan Serrano, summarily suspended by Mountaineer Park stewards pending a hearing Aug. 5 regarding a drug violation, posted on Facebook July 28 he plans to "walk away" from his riding career.

The social media announcement came a day following a July 27 West Virginia Racing Commission ruling that Serrano had tested "positive for THC," or tetrahydrocannabinol. THC is the main psychoactive compound in marijuana.

"Today I make the tough decision to undo my girth, (unbuckle) my helmet and hang up my boots," Serrano posted. "I've given this sport my all. I've sacrificed myself to do something and to do it to the best of my physical capacity. (I've) pushed through injury and pain to bring to the track a show. This business overtakes you, changes your lifestyle completely. I've given this sport my life. I've given it all knowing at the end I'd be left with nothing and I did it anyway."

Serrano is 21-for-125 at Mountaineer, the sixth-ranked rider in the standings, through July 27. Overall, he has ridden 105 winners from 1,129 mounts since beginning his career in 2017.

A native of Puerto Rico, Serrano, 21, began galloping horses at Belmont Park before starting his riding career at Tampa Bay Downs in March 2017. He rode his first winner at Mountaineer in June of that year.

This year before coming to Mountaineer he rode at Aqueduct Racetrack and later Fonner Park, where he was handed a 30-day suspension by the Nebraska Racing Commission in early March for the presence of THC in a urine test.

"I love the sport but the reasons to walk away outnumber the ones to stay," he continued in his Facebook post. "I won't go into detail (at least not right now) as to the reasons why, and I ask for privacy for the time being."