Delgadillo retires; Krigger suspended

ALBANY, Calif. - Two familiar faces will be missing from the Golden Gate Fields jockey colony when racing resumes Thursday. Hot apprentice Kevin Krigger suffered an injury and received a seven-day suspension Monday, and Agapito Delgadillo announced his retirement.

The 35-year-old Delgadillo, who won the 1997 California Derby with I'm a Jewel, had ridden regularly in northern California since 1994. He took off two mounts Sunday and told his agent, Roger Olguin, he planned to move to Southern California to open a Mexican grocery store. He said he may still gallop horses.

Krigger was off his mounts Monday after bruising the Achilles tendon in his left leg while getting off Dan the Hitman, who fractured the sesamoid in his right leg in Sunday's ninth race. Krigger had not planned to ride Thursday and was hit by a seven-day suspension for his ride aboard A Rack of Bengies in Sunday's third race. A Rack of Bengies won the race but was disqualified to fourth for bumping Seeyaat Redtracton at the top of the stretch. The seven-day suspension begins Friday, Jan. 25, and runs through Feb. 2.

Date switch

At Thursday's CHRB meeting, a request will be made to transfer six racing dates, Nov. 6-11, from Bay Meadows to Golden Gate Fields in November. The switch would give Golden Gate 105 racedays in 2001 and Bay Meadows 104.

Koriner to return Feb. 18

Trainer Brian Koriner, suspended by the Golden Gate Fields board of stewards on Dec. 13, 2001, for medication violations, will be allowed to resume training on Feb. 18.

Koriner said it was "nice" to have a date when he could return to training.

The violations referred to a positive test on Gone Quackers, who won the seventh race at Golden Gate Fields on Dec. 29, 2000. Koriner, who trained Hoovergetthekeys to victory in the Golden Gate Derby and El Camino Real Derby last year, will have to reimburse Truesdail Laboratories $400 for test expenses.

* Thursday's feature at Golden Gate Fields will be a 1 1/16-mile allowance race for older fillies and mares. Stakes winners Mimi's Caf, Lindsay Jean, De Goddaughter, Constantly Classy, and Castle Mountain are in the field of seven.