Maldonado nearly missed opportunity to ride two stakes winners

CYPRESS, Calif.- Jockey Edwin Maldonado won two stakes for the first time in his career at Los Alamitos on Saturday. The milestone nearly didn’t happen because of California’s rules regarding jockeys who ride stakes during routine suspensions.

On April 10, Santa Anita stewards suspended Maldonado for Saturday’s program at Los Alamitos because he rode two graded stakes at Keeneland on April 9 while serving a suspension for a routine riding infraction.

In late March, Maldonado had dropped an appeal of a three-day suspension at Santa Anita issued in late January. The revised dates of the suspension included April 9. Jockeys in California are allowed to ride graded stakes or California-bred stakes during a routine suspension, but must serve an additional day for riding more than one such race.

Maldonado, 33, said he nearly gave up the mount on Boozer in Saturday’s Bertrando Stakes for California-breds to avoid yet another day of suspension. Saturday, he rode San Onofre to a win in the Grade 3 Los Angeles Stakes in the fifth race and Boozer in the seventh race.

He opted to ride both races after discussing options with his agent, J.R. Pegram.

“We were debating whether to ride one stakes and not serve another day,” he said.

Because he had two mounts on Saturday, Maldonado must serve another day of suspension this coming Saturday, April 23. He will be eligible to ride the day’s top race at Los Alamitos, the $200,000 Great Lady M Stakes, a Grade 2 for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Maldonado won the Los Angeles Stakes for the fourth time, and at a third venue.

Maldonado won the Los Angeles Stakes on Comma to the Top at Hollywood Park in 2013, the year the track closed. The race was moved to Santa Anita in 2014. Maldonado won in 2014 with Cyclometer and last year with Distinctiv Passion. The Los Angeles Stakes was moved to Los Alamitos after Santa Anita did not schedule the race at the winter-spring or spring-summer meetings this year.

Maldonado was not aware of the milestone until told after the race.

“I just hope we can keep it going,” he said.

Remarkably, Maldonado’s win streak is not a record. Don Pierce won five consecutive runnings of the Los Angeles Stakes from 1969 to 1973.

- additional reporting by Jay Privman