Clement on top with four stakes

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The Christophe Clement stable leads all trainers with four stakes wins at the Hollywood Park autumn meeting, including two over the weekend - Saturday's restricted $56,550 Cesario Stakes with Captive Melody and Sunday's Grade 3 Native Diver Handicap with Saint Stephen.

Captive Melody ($10.20) was making her stakes debut in the Cesario. She ran a mile on turf in 1:35.09, finishing 2 1/4 lengths in front of La Mottie. Bosset finished third in the field nine 3-year-old fillies.

Captive Melody was a handful for jockey Julien Leparoux until he put her on the lead on the final turn.

Captive Melody has won 2 of 6 starts and $85,110 for owner Ramona Bass. Earlier at this meeting, the Clement stable won two turf marathon stakes for fillies and mares with Bend a Little.

Leparoux, who leads the nation jockeys in victories with 398 through Sunday, is splitting his time between Turfway Park and Hollywood Park. This week, Leparoux will ride at Turfway Park from Wednesday through Friday and at Hollywood Park from Saturday through Monday. He is booked to ride Belgravia in the Hollywood Futurity.

Gomez gets a breather

Jockey Garrett Gomez, the leading rider at this meeting and the nation's leading rider in money earnings this year, is taking a brief vacation this week. Gomez said on Sunday he will miss Wednesday through Friday and return to riding on Saturday for the final three days of the Hollywood Park meeting.

"I haven't had a break in two and a half years," Gomez said.

Through Sunday, Gomez led all riders with 33 wins. He had four winners on Sunday.

Several rider suspensions to be served

Jockeys Jose Alferez, William Antongeorgi 3d, Agapito Delgadillo, and Victor Espinoza have been suspended for three days in coming weeks for riding infractions Friday and Saturday.

Antongeorgi will miss Saturday through Monday for causing interference aboard Taffy Boy in the eighth race Friday.

Espinoza was suspended Sunday, Monday, and Dec. 26, the opening day of Santa Anita, for causing interference and being disqualified from third to sixth in Saturday's fourth race.

Alferez and Delgadillo's suspensions stemmed from incidents in Saturday's second race, a rare double disqualification.

Alferez rode Alie's Din Din, who was demoted from first to second for causing interference in the stretch; Delgadillo was cited for causing interference on Cat Robber, who was demoted from second to third. Their suspensions cover racing on Sunday, Monday, and Dec. 26.

Seven other jockeys will serve three-day suspensions this week for recent infractions or after dropping appeals of suspensions issued in recent months.

Saul Arias, Michael Baze, Corey Nakatani, and Jose Valdivia have dropped appeals.

Baze serves his final day Wednesday, Nakatani's suspension ends Thursday, Arias will be out through Friday, and Valdivia will be out from Saturday through Monday.

Isaias Enriquez, Martin Garcia, and Richard Migliore will miss Thursday through Saturday for suspensions issued Dec. 7.

Trainers suspended for positives

Trainers Mark Glatt and Mike Marlow have been fined $750 each after horses they started earlier this fall tested positive for an excessive amount of the analgesic bute.

Glatt was cited for an excessive test taken from Zachary's Verbatim, the winner of the fourth race at Hollywood Park on Nov. 8. Marlow was cited for the test results taken from Cantabile, who finished fifth at Santa Anita on Oct. 8.

Also on Sunday, stewards Scott Chaney, Darrel McHargue, and Tom Ward fined veterinarian Alaine Hu $500 for failing to complete a confidential report to the state veterinarian and fined trainer George Papaprodromou $300 for failing to report that Jealous Crafty was racing as a gelding in the first race Nov. 23.

Jealous Crafty finished fifth on Nov. 23, his first career start.