CHRB to examine Desormeaux ride

DEL MAR, Calif. – Del Mar’s stewards on Sunday said they have turned over to California Horse Racing Board investigators a matter involving jockey Kent Desormeaux’s ride in race 4 on Saturday aboard Take a Leap, who was caught in the last jump and finished third.

“They will talk to the trainer of the horse, the vets, and at the conclusion of their investigation decide if they should put forth a hearing,” said John Herbuveaux, one of Del Mar’s stewards.

“We want to be thorough,” said another steward, Kim Sawyer. “They will file a complaint if they feel it should go further.”

Herbuveaux said he, Sawyer, and colleague Grant Baker reviewed two specific portions of the race. They viewed tapes of upper stretch, where Desormeaux was aggressive with the whip, and then his actions nearing the wire, when he hand rode Take a Leap and waved the whip after looking back briefly at his trailing rivals.

Regarding upper stretch, Desormeaux “agreed that he hit the horse four times in a row, and he apologized,” Herbuveaux said.

For that, Desormeaux was fined $200, as riders are not permitted to strike a horse more than three times without waiting for a response.

Regarding the final portion of the race, Herbuveaux said, “We heard his opinion regarding the last 100 yards, and took it under advisement.”

Take a Leap is trained by Jeff Mullins. He said the horse had come out of the race fine.

Desormeaux has been repeatedly accused of not riding his mounts through the finish, and occasionally has been sanctioned. As far back as 1993, at Hollywood Park, he was suspended for five days for not riding out a mount. He had been fined $500 in 1992 and then $1,000 in early 1993 for similar issues.

At the fall meeting here in 2015, stewards voted 2-1 to not sanction Desormeaux after his mount What a View was caught in the final strides of a turf race and the rider’s effort was questioned.