Contreras to ride Santa Anita winter meet

Luis Contreras, currently tied for 10th in the standings at Woodbine Racecourse near Toronto, will spend the winter at Santa Anita, according to his California agent Mike Ciani.

Contreras, 37, is expected to begin riding in California on Dec. 26, opening day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting.

Contreras rode at Santa Anita last winter for the first time since the 2016-2017 season. He won 14 races from 99 mounts. His best result in four mounts in stakes was a third aboard Stella Noir in the Desert Stormer Stakes, a sprint for fillies and mares.

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This year at Woodbine, Contreras has won three stakes, including the Grade 3 Valedictory Stakes at 1 1/2 miles aboard 15-1 Conglomerate last Sunday.

This winter in California, Contreras will be joined by Woodbine’s leading rider, Kazushi Kimura, who also rode at Santa Anita earlier this year.

Jockey suspensions

Jockeys Armando Aguilar, Antonio Fresu, and Tyler Gaffalione received one-day suspensions from stewards at Del Mar last weekend.

Aguilar, 23, is suspended on Friday and was fined $250 for striking Elevado seven times with a whip in the sixth race at Del Mar on Nov. 26. Aguilar exceeded the permitted number of strikes by one, according to a ruling published by stewards.

Elevado finished third in a $20,000 claimer for non-winners of three.

Fresu was cited for riding two graded stakes, or designated races, at Del Mar last Sunday while suspended for a riding infraction from Nov. 25. Jockeys are allowed to ride one designated race while serving routine suspensions.

Fresu was given a three-day suspension for an incident on Nov. 25 when he failed to ride Satin Doll to the finish, the stewards wrote in a ruling. Satin Doll finished fourth in an allowance race, missing third by a neck.

The suspension covers racing from Friday through Sunday this weekend, but Fresu is able to ride the weekend stakes, or designated races, at Los Alamitos. He is booked to ride Chatalas in Saturday’s Grade 2 Starlet Stakes, his only mount of the day.

Gaffalione was cited for using his whip once more than the permitted limit on Webslinger, who finished second in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar on Dec. 2. Gaffalione, who was also fined $277, is scheduled to serve the suspension on Sunday.

Desormeaux taking break

Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux is in the midst of a late season break with the intent of returning to riding after Christmas.

In a brief phone conversation on Thursday, Desormeaux, 53, said he is visiting family in Louisiana and will remain there in coming weeks. Desormeaux has not ridden since Nov. 3 at Santa Anita. He is targeting a return to California in late December or early January to resume working horses in advance of a comeback at Santa Anita.

This year, Desormeaux has won 49 races from 302 mounts. He had his best season at the Santa Anita spring meeting from mid-April to mid-June, ranking fifth in the jockey standings with 18 wins from 83 mounts. He finished ninth in the standings at the Del Mar summer meeting with 13 wins.

Desormeaux has won three stakes this year, most notably the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March with Stilleto Boy.

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