Report: Suspended Desormeaux to Meet With Stewards
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Jockey Kent Desormeaux aboard two-time Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Roy H in 2017 at Del Mar
According to a report in Daily Racing Form, suspended jockey Kent Desormeaux plans to meet with California stewards July 29 regarding a California Horse Racing Board complaint issued against him with the hope of resuming his riding career.
That complaint, issued Jan. 20, alleges that Kent Desormeaux got into a disturbance at the RV park area of Del Mar last fall and admitted to drinking alcohol throughout the year. That action, the complaint claims, placed him in violation of an agreement in which he agreed to "abstain from using any mind-altering or mood-changing substances from 12/14/2020 through 12/26/2021."
That agreement followed an incident in the summer of 2020 that ultimately resulted in stewards at Del Mar suspending the rider for 15 days for disorderly conduct, use of racing slurs, and aggressive behavior in an altercation at a barbeque with another individual. According to stewards' minutes, both Desormeaux and the other individual consumed alcohol.
The rider, who has battled alcohol abuse throughout portions of his Hall of Fame career and has a history of legal troubles connected to his struggles, was arrested in late January in Louisiana for domestic abuse and battery/strangulation in a separate incident.
Desormeaux, 52, has ridden 6,116 winners in North America, capturing the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) three times apiece and the Belmont Stakes (G1) once. He has also won Breeders' Cup races and been honored with multiple Eclipse Awards.