Stewards at Belterra Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, have issued a one-year suspension to the track’s leading rider after reviewing a race last week in which the jockey finished second on the 7-10 favorite.
Albin Jimenez, who has 81 wins at the current Belterra meet, almost double the next leading rider, was issued the suspension following a Friday meeting with stewards to review the film from the second race at Belterra on Aug. 21. Jimenez finished second in the race on Afleet Vintage, beaten three lengths by the 3.10-1 third choice, ridden by Summer Pauly, an apprentice.
A ruling from the stewards said that the Friday meeting included Pauly. Jimenez appeared at the meeting without legal counsel. The ruling says that the meeting concerned the rider’s “failure to give his best effort to obtain a winning performance and conduct detrimental to the best interests of racing.”
The chart of the race, which had an $8,500 purse, says that Afleet Image “was mid-field early and was allowed to settle down the backstretch, then angled out at the head of the lane and closed to get up for place.” The race had a five-horse field.
The size of the pari-mutuel pools for the race were all within the normal ranges for a minor claiming race at Belterra.
Afleet Vintage is trained by Thomas Drury, who regularly employs Jimenez as a rider. Drury, who did not return a phone call from Daily Racing Form, spoke with the Belterra stewards after the race to register a complaint about Jimenez’s ride, according to Horse Racing Nation.
Bert Crawford, Jimenez’s agent, declined to comment on the suspension, the ride, or whether Jimenez plans to appeal. The stewards’ ruling, which is scheduled to go into effect on Friday, says that the suspension will be reduced to six months if Jimenez does not appeal.
Chris Dragone, the executive director of the Ohio State Racing Commission, said that the commission had not received a notice of appeal as of Monday afternoon.
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