By Bill Finley
Jockey Antonio Fresu, currently second in the jockey's standings at Del Mar with 31 wins, has been suspended a total of 32 days by the California stewards for overuse of the whip. Fresu's suspension runs from Sept. 8 through Oct. 9. He was also fined $1,242.
The suspensions came in the form of six separate rulings from the California Horse Racing Board, including two issued Sept. 4. According to CHRB spokesman Mike Marten, while the CHRB issued the rulings, it was only enforcing rules set forth by the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). Fresu's agent Tom Knust said an appeal will be filed with HISA on Thursday.
The Daily Racing Form was the first to report the story.
Fresu is from Italy and began riding in Southern California in late April.
Under HISA rules, a jockey is limited to six strikes of the whip and only in increments of two strikes at a time. For each violation, a jockey is given points according to how many times he or she went over the six-strike limit.
“I am new in the country and where I rode before, you can use the crop more times,” Fresu said. “When I came here, I needed to change my style and keep count. Most of the times, I was just one over the limit. It's not so easy to keep count, especially when you are fighting for a win and are head to head with another horse. It's my own fault. The other jockeys adapted to these new rules. In the last couple of weeks, it happened three times in three days and I won every one of those races by a nose. It shouldn't have happened, but I don't think it's really fair. It's not like you're riding in a way where you get other people in trouble or in a bad spot. It's not doing something dangerous. So I think the penalty is a little harsh. Still, I want to change and I want to improve. I want to do my best and not make mistakes like this anymore.”
In the Sept. 4 ruling, Fresu was suspended 15 days for compiling 18 violations points. He was given another seven days in a Sept. 1 ruling for another 15 violations points and in an Aug. 31 ruling, he was suspended seven days for having 12 points. He was also given three one-day penalties for three other rides at Del Mar in which he violated the whip rules.
The days are served as calendar days and not racing days and Fresu will be allowed to ride in some designated stakes races during his suspension.
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