Valdivia Withdraws Appeal of 10-Day Riding Suspension

Jockey Jose Valdivia Jr. has withdrawn his appeal of a suspension of 10 racing days issued by California stewards for careless riding in a spill-marred race at Del Mar last month. He will serve his suspension Sept. 18-19, Sept. 23-26, Oct. 1-3, and Oct. 8, according to a Sept. 12 stewards' ruling.

While on suspension, California rules allow him to ride in "designated races," typically lucrative stakes races.

Valdivia and apprentice Diego Herrera were both sanctioned for their rides in the seventh race at Del Mar Aug. 22, in which only five of the 12 horses completed the race. The track reported that the fallen horses escaped significant injury, though some jockeys missed riding due to injuries.

Herrera received five days for allowing his mount, Sassy Chasey , "to remain in tight quarters entering the far turn and causing interference, resulting in an accident." Stewards cited Valdivia for crossing over on Katie's Paradise  "without sufficient clearance entering the far turn and causing interference, resulting in an accident."

Sassy Chasey clipped heels, setting off a chain reaction in which six other horses unseated their riders.

Herrera did not appeal. Valdivia's suspension, initially scheduled for early to mid-September, was pushed back.

Valdivia's agent, Nick Hines, felt his rider's suspension was unwarranted and excessive, double the length of Herrera's and translating to three calendar weeks. Valdivia and Flavien Prat, who also rode in the race and testified in front of stewards, felt Herrera "was in a bad spot and should have taken out prior to going into the turn," stewards' notes indicated.

Vince DeGregory, agent for Herrera, said last month that the horse took the rider into that position.

Two stewards, Grant Baker and David Nuesch, voted to suspend Valdivia. Luis Jauregui dissented and voted for a 10-day suspension for Herrera.

In other recent rulings issued at Los Alamitos Race Course, where racing in Southern California has shifted since the end of the Del Mar meet, jockeys Joe Bravo and Trevor McCarthy dropped appeals of three-day suspensions.

Stewards also suspended Silvio Amador three days for his ride in the third race at Los Alamitos Sept. 11 in which he misjudged the finish line and did not ride out his mount, Wicked Sunset, to the finish. Wicked Sunset finished second, beaten three-quarters of a length.