Albarado fined for failing to make weight

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Veteran jockey Robby Albarado has been fined $500 by the Kentucky stewards for failing to fulfill his mounts last Saturday at Turfway Park in northern Kentucky, where his scheduled mount in the $500,000 Spiral Stakes, Oscar Nominated, wound up winning with replacement rider Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard.

Albarado was overweight for seven scheduled mounts and was taken off all of them. The assignment on Oscar Nominated was 123 pounds, and although Albarado would have been allowed to ride up to five pounds overweight, trainer Mike Maker opted to use another rider without penalty, as so permitted under state racing regulations. The winner’s share for owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey was $282,000.

The stewards also levied a $500 fine to Corey Nakatani, who was taken off two mounts Saturday before making the 123-pound impost on Ralis, the fifth-place finisher in the Spiral.

Albarado, a four-time riding champion at Keeneland, will be active throughout the spring meet that began Friday at Keeneland, while Nakatani intends to ride here after the Oaklawn Park meet ends April 16.