Mountaineer Stewards Suspend Riders for False Physicals

Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort stewards suspended 15 jockeys Sept. 6 for presenting falsified physical examination forms. A physical, a routine wellness examination by a healthcare professional, is required for riding at the West Virginia track.

All but one received suspensions of 15 days, while another, Eddie Jurado, was suspended 210 days and fined $2,500. In addition to presenting a false document, Jurado admitted to "producing and/or delivering fictitious documents (copies of physical examinations) to fourteen (14) other jockeys to perform their work duties at Mountaineer Park," the stewards wrote in their ruling. His suspension is from Sept. 9-April 4.

Juan Velez, Erik Barbaran, Angel Serpa, Jose Davilla, Luis Hernandez, Brandon Tapara, Eder Martinez, Luan Machado, Odhair Mayta, Jose Leon, Sonny Leon, Logan Holbrook, Ricardo Mejias, and Fernando Becerra were other jockeys cited by Mountaineer stewards for presenting false documents.

None of the riders had appealed their suspensions as of 10 a.m. ET Sept. 8, according to Joe Moore, executive director of the West Virginia Racing Commission. Their suspensions begin this week.

"So if they file an appeal, they would also file a request for a stay," Moore said. "They would be ruled upon, and then the appeal would be referred to a hearing examiner. And that would be set up."

According to the rulings, most of the false physicals were turned into Mountaineer this summer, though some dated back to the spring.

"There was an instance where it was a falsified document, and it led to an investigation," Moore said.

Though most of the riders are suspended through the first part of October, their sanctions are not expected to leave Mountaineer with an insufficient number of jockeys.

"There were only a handful that primarily raced at Mountaineer. So no, it won't affect the live race card at Mountaineer at all," Moore said.

Some jockeys based in Mountaineer's region split their time riding between Ohio, West Virginia, and New York tracks. With reciprocity, the sanctioned riders will not be able to ride elsewhere over their suspensions.

"Anything pertaining to something like that—falsifying anything—we don't condone any of this type of behavior," said Terry Meyocks, president and CEO of the Jockeys' Guild, an organization that represents riders. "Rules are in place, and rules are meant to be followed. If anybody breaks the rules, they should be sanctioned."