Carmouche to serve three-day suspension

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Kendrick Carmouche, the leading jockey through the first two weeks of Aqueduct’s winter meet, will serve a three-day suspension for his ride aboard Frizzante in Saturday’s sixth race at Aqueduct.

Carmouche waived his right of appeal and will serve the days on Jan. 19, 23, and 24.

Carmouche was sanctioned by the stewards for allowing his mount Frizzante to drift out several paths in the stretch, carrying out Strapped, who Frizzante beat by a nose at the wire. After a stewards’ review, and an objection lodged by Rudy Rodriguez, the trainer of Strapped, the stewards disqualified Frizzante from first and placed him second while elevating Strapped to first.

Through the first two weeks of Aqueduct’s winter meet, Carmouche leads all riders in wins with 11, two more than Jose Lezcano and Manny Franco.

Two of Carmouche’s wins at this meet have come for trainer Linda Rice, who is off to a torrid start with 12 wins from 36 starters. Trainers George Weaver, Horacio De Paz, and Rudy Rodriguez are tied for second with three wins apiece.

◗ Phileas Fogg, the eight-length winner of the Queens County Stakes on Dec. 29, had an easy half-mile work Sunday morning, clockers timing him in 52.88 seconds for a half-mile over the Belmont Park training track.

“I wanted to go nice and easy with him. I was on him myself. The horse is training good, everything is beautiful,” trainer Gustavo Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said the tentative plan is to run Phileas Fogg in a no-condition allowance race going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct on Jan. 25.

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