Jockey David Flores Cleared to Race in CA

Jockey David Flores has been cleared to race by the Santa Anita Park stewards, according to documents released May 7 by the California Horse Racing Board.



Flores, 47, won 156 graded stakes in the U.S. from 1990 to 2013 and relocated to Singapore in 2014, but was suspended by the Singapore Turf Club for a year in March for his ride on Kiss Me Feb. 22.



After hearing testimony from both Flores and the trainer of Kiss Me, Singapore Turf Club stewards determined the jockey "failed to take all reasonable and permissible measures to ensure that (his mount) was given the full opportunity of obtaining the best possible placing." The minimum penalty for violating that rule is a year suspension.



According to the Singapore Turf Club, Flores had previously been warned about the same infraction for a fourth-place finish on Satellite King in June 2014.



Although the CHRB documents, stemming from an April 23 hearing with the Santa Anita stewards, stated the "Singapore Turf Club, under the auspices of the Malayan Racing Association, is a competent jurisdiction and therefore the disqualification ruling is prima facie evidence that (Flores) is unfit to hold a license in this jurisdiction" the stewards overturned the suspension and allowed Flores to race in California.



The board called on Hall of Fame jockeys Mike Smith and Gary Stevens as "riding expert witnesses" and both testified "to the fact that Mr. Flores had not only given his best efforts in the race in question, but gave the horse a superlative ride."



Although the CHRB documents state stewards did not agree that the ride was "superlative," they deemed the penalty of a year suspension "quite harsh" and ruled Flores is permitted to hold a jockey license in California.



"This (rule) seems better reserved to punish a jockey who actively prevents his horse from exerting its best efforts—a claim that no one makes in this case," the CHRB documents state.

Flores, a Tijuana, Mexico native, will be represented by agent Jim Pegram. The agent previously had the jockey's book from 1993 to 1995 and from 1996 to 2004.

"I'm very happy," Flores said. "(Pegram) was the one who gave me a call when I was back in Singapore the second day (after the suspension). I was down emotionally and took it as it was, and I'm thinking, 'a year.' But when he called me, there was hope."