Saez to serve three days for riding infraction

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Luis Saez, the leading jockey at the championship meet, will serve a three-day suspension next week stemming from a riding infraction in the first race here Wednesday, when his mount, Our Independence, was disqualified from second to fifth for interference in midstretch. Saez will sit out Wednesday through Friday before returning to the saddle Saturday.

Saez entered Friday action with 103 wins, well ahead of runner-up Tyler Gaffalione (67) and third-place Irad Ortiz Jr. (66). Saez was the leading rider at the 2016-17 championship meet with 102 wins.

Meanwhile, Edgard Zayas was held blameless for a separate incident here Wednesday and will not serve days. His mount in the seventh race, Love to Share, was disqualified from first to second for midstretch interference.

◗ Between the Fountain of Youth here this weekend and the March 31 Florida Derby card, just two graded stakes are on the Gulfstream schedule – the Grade 2 Inside Information on March 17 and the Grade 3 Hutcheson on March 24. The co-features here next Saturday, March 10, are $75,000 turf-sprint twins for older horses, the Silks Run and Captiva Island.