Jockey Pimentel charged with assault

Julian Pimentel, a prominent Maryland-based jockey, was charged with assault by Anne Arundel County, Md., police last week after being involved in an altercation at a local restaurant, according to a police report.

Pimentel, the regular rider of fan favorite Ben’s Cat, was charged on the evening of Nov. 5 after his girlfriend, Sarah Shaffer, alleged that the rider had struck her while she attempted to intervene in an argument between Pimentel and another man at Dave and Buster’s, a restaurant. According to the police report, Shaffer said that Pimentel “hit her in the neck and pushed her off of him as well.”

The police report categorized the assault as a case of domestic violence. Pimentel, 34, was booked and released on bail, according to the report.

This year, Pimentel has won 77 times on 500 mounts, according to Equibase figures. His mounts have won $2.85 million.