Four Pinnacle jockeys over alcohol limit

HURON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The first race at Pinnacle Race Course was delayed nearly 20 minutes Sunday when horsemen scrambled to secure riders after four jockeys, including the three leaders, failed breathalyzer tests just before the first race.

Tommy Molina, Federico Mata, Jeffrey Skerrett, and Wade Rini all registered at least a blood alcohol content of 0.05 per cent, according to Michigan stewards Bob Coberley, Daryl Parker and Richard Garrison. Parker said the tolerance level for riding is less than the 0.08 per cent limit for impaired driving. All of the riders were detained during the remainder of the card while they were given hearings that led to suspensions of 10 calendar days each, which began on Sunday.

Coberley said that Molina had been arrested at some point after Saturday’s card for driving under the influence, and that required his testing, which prompted the entire room to be tested

Molina currently leads the standings with 58 wins through 34 days of racing. Mata follows with 44 tallies and Skerrett has 37 wins. Rini, who recently started riding at the suburban Detroit track, has two wins.

They will be allowed to fulfill their commitments and and to ride designated stakes races. The first date they will be able to ride at PNL is Oct. 16, the day of the Michigan Sire Stakes