Smith receives two-day suspension for interference in Saudi Cup

ARCADIA, Calif. – Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith has been suspended two days next Friday and Saturday after he was judged by Saudi Arabian stewards to have caused interference shortly after the start of the $20 million Saudi Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.

Smith, 55, rode Charlatan to a second-place finish, but was ruled to have allowed his mount to drift to the left after the start, interfering with Sleepy Eyes Todd, who finished fifth. The stewards' ruling did not change the order of finish.

Santa Anita stewards Ron Church, Luis Jauregui, and Kim Sawyer issued the two-day sanction Sunday after receiving the original ruling from the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia. The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia and California Horse Racing Board have a reciprocal agreement to honor penalties issued by the respective organizations.

Smith’s penalty is less severe than the nine-day suspension he received when ruled to have used his whip excessively aboard runner-up Midnight Bisou in the 2020 Saudi Cup. Smith was fined $210,000 for that infraction.

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Smith lost an appeal of that penalty and was given a nine-day suspension last April. The penalty covered days Santa Anita was scheduled to race, but later canceled when the racetrack was deemed a nonessential business by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health because of the coronavirus pandemic. The suspension was allowed to stand, despite the absence of live racing in that period.

Charlatan was beaten a length by Mishriff, who was ridden by David Egan. Saudi Arabian stewards hit Egan with a two-day suspension and $100,000 fine for excessive use of the whip aboard Mishriff, according to the HorseRacingPlanet.com website.