Jockeys' Guild lawyer quits

A northern California lobbyist and lawyer who did work on behalf of the Jockeys' Guild has resigned because of concerns over the guild's management, the attorney, Barry Broad, said Wednesday night.

Broad said he submitted his resignation because of concerns raised in a U.S. Congressional hearing Oct. 18 in which members of the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations raised questions about the guild's chief executive, L. Wayne Gertmenian, and the guild's financial policies.

"I could not continue to represent the guild with that management team in place," Broad said.

The resignation is the latest blow to the guild, an organization that claims to represent 1,200 riders. On Tuesday, members of the guild's executive committee voted to conduct an internal investigation of Gertmenian and payments the guild has made to his consulting company, Matrix Capital Associates, which is paid $335,000 a year by the guild. Gertmenian, who draws a $165,000 annual salary at the guild, is Matrix's owner and sole employee.

Broad had represented the guild in lobbying before the state's legislature and in dealings with the California Horse Racing Board, which conducted an audit of the guild earlier this year.