Bob Hess

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. This week's rulings include three lengthy suspensions. Trainer Francisco Ramos has been banned for two years and fined $25,000 after his trainee You're a Dandy (Mizzen Mast) who finished second at Hawthorne Feb. 14, tested positive for the bronchodilator Clenbuterol. According to a final decision by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), Ramos apparently requested a B sample analysis but did not pay for it, which meant...

Following a serious fall at Gulfstream Park earlier this week, exercise rider Bulfrano Andres Bahena was upgraded from critical to stable condition per his wife, Monica Garcia, on Friday. Bahena suffered serious back as well as various other injuries in the fall and underwent successful surgery Wednesday at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami to stabilize his back. Unfortunately he suffered significant nerve damage according to Garcia and faces a very long road of physical therapy and recovery according to his doctors. She said the long-range prognosis remains "unknown" at the...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. California Track: Santa Anita Date: 04/20/2022 Licensee: Ed Moger, trainer Penalty: $500 fine Violation: Out of competition medication violation Explainer: Trainer Ed Moger, who worked the horse Squalotoro for removal from the Veterinarian's List on March 10, 2022, at Santa Anita Park,...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. California Track: Santa Anita Date: 04/15/2022 Licensee: Ryan Curatolo, jockey Penalty: Four-day suspension Violation: Careless riding Explainer: Jockey Ryan Curatolo, who rode Silent Beauty in the ninth race at Santa Anita Park on April 10, 2022, is suspended for 4 racing days (April 30, May 1,...

The falsification of an owner's signature on an opening-day claim slip at Keeneland has cost trainer Bob Hess, Jr., a $1,000 fine. Hess waived his right to a formal hearing with the Keeneland stewards. "Bottom line, I made a mistake," Hess told TDN via phone Tuesday afternoon. "And it won't happen again. It was kind of a time crunch. We didn't have the claim slip signed by the owner, so I signed on his behalf, which is a breach of the rules." The horse Hess tried to claim for $80,000...

SURFER GIRL S., $203,000, Santa Anita, 10-3, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:34.27, fm. 1--CAIRO MEMORIES, 120, f, 2, by Cairo Prince 1st Dam: Incarnate Memories, by Indian Charlie 2nd Dam: Witness Post, by Gone West 3rd Dam: Most Likely, by Fappiano 'TDN Rising Star' 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. ($50,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-David A. Bernsen, LLC & Schroeder Farms LLC; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Robert B. Hess, Jr.; J-Kent J. Desormeaux. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $162,000. *Full to Cariba, SW, $221,750. 2--Helens Well (Ire), 120, f, 2, Kodi Bear (Ire)--Ever Evolving (Fr),...

Bob Hess, Sr., who began training in the late 1950s and saddled his last horses in November, passed away Saturday due to the effects of COVID-19. He was 86. Golden Gate Fields, where Hess was based, was closed in mid-November and is not set to reopen until after Christmas due to a rash of COVID positives. Hess was hospitalized with the virus around the same time the track was closed, eventually released, and then readmitted when his symptoms returned. According to The Stronach Group, owner of Golden Gate, Hess was...