Desormeaux Taken Off Mounts at Del Mar
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Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux was taken off his final two mounts of the day by Del Mar stewards July 29, after riding favored Tequila Mary to a fifth-place finish in a five-furlong maiden claiming event for 2-year-old fillies.
His remaining mounts, Feelin Lucky in the fifth race and Filly On Fire in the sixth, were picked up by Tyler Baze and Alonso Quinonez, respectively.
Desormeaux began the day with a fifth-place finish aboard Prodigious in the first race at Del Mar, followed by a fifth in the second race with Chromium and a third-place finish in the third race with Clever Royal, before his ride on Tequila Mary.
Stewards did not indicate why the jockey was removed from his mounts mid-card. Desormeaux has been taken off mounts for alcohol-related violations in the past, while riding at Belmont Park and Woodbine.
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According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, stewards said Desormeaux did something earlier in the card that required the jockey to appear in front of them the next morning. Desormeaux's agent, Mike Ciani, told the paper his client said he was having migraine headaches.
The stewards' ruling comes ahead of a big weekend for Desormeaux, who is scheduled to ride Texas Red in the Jim Dandy Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 1 and is expected to be aboard Keen Ice in the William Hill Haskell Invitational (gr. I) at Monmouth Park Aug. 2. He also has four mounts scheduled at Del Mar July 30 and three more July 31.
Desormeaux did not return a call seeking comment Wednesday night.