Jockey Fight in US

Heard about this from a mate in the US... Two jocks having a full go at eachother in the finish (they both have white caps)... WTF were they thinking??? It was race 5 at Philadelphia Park, on 08/01/10...



And then while looking for the above video, I came across this old classic of the 1933 Kentucky Derby... listen to the commentator,s funny quip, around the turn, about the eventual winner Broker's Tip, and then watch the fight down the straight between 1st and 2nd!!! I think a lot of this went on in the old days - I've heard plenty of stories from some of the old jocks (I mean the really old ones!!! LOL)



Good for a Saturday morning giggle...

Thanks Ruby great start to the Sat, hope non of our jocks will get ideas?

lol

Thats funny stuff.....I like the commentary by the guy in the background...

"Look a this.....bham..whammo...thwack"!!!!

Good stuff Ruby

Jockeys come to blows at Philadelphia Park


USA: Those who went to Philadelphia Park on Friday to watch racing saw a boxing match break out.

Jockeys Eriluis Vaz and Ademar Santos traded punches going down the backstretch during the fifth race, with Vaz landing the first blow. After Santos struck back, Vaz retaliated with his whip.


Santos claimed after the race that Vaz had veered his mount Divine Light toward him three times prior to throwing a punch.

"I asked, 'Man, why you go like that?' Santos told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"Then he hit me in the face. . . in the mouth."

Santos said his reaction was a reflex but said he did not land his punch. Vaz responded by striking him several times on the back with his whip, Santos said.

Carson Phelps, agent for Santos, said: "My rider said, 'I got hit in the face. I've got to dosomething.' It looked like (Vaz) was trying to knock him off the horse. He could have destroyed half of the field."

Lou Albertrani, Vaz's agent, said he could not comment on the situation because he had neither seen therace nor talked to his rider.

John Scanlan, trainer of Santos's mount Mi Helena, said of Santos: "He's fired forever riding for me. I've been in this game for 50 years. I've only seen this once before, on a film.

"There were 11 horses in the race and a lot of other horses were getting banged around bacause of it. We were lucky there wasn't a spill. They should get a penalty and get it big."

Scanlan said he told Santos: "You should have taken it upstairs to the jocks' room. That's the way it's always been."

A steward, who did not want to be identified, said a hearing will be held regarding the fight, but it will not take place for at least ten days.

Vas got 200 days suspension,Santos got 90 days

"7 months" now thats a slap in the face.

Hectic stuff.not so funny now...

Details emerge of riders' bust-up at Santa Anita

USA: Further details have emerged of the fracas involving jockeys Garrett Gomez and Victor Espinoza after 4-5 favourite Lookin At Lucky finished a distant third behindSidney's Candy in the Santa Anita Derby on Saturday.

Associated Press reported that Gomez, who rode the favourite, went after Espinoza for impeding him as he rode the outsider Who's Up.
Jockey Garrett Gomez - Nad Al Sheba - March 07


The report alleged that Gomez landed several punches before the two riders were separated.

Lookin At Lucky's trainer Bob Baffert, unhappy with Gomez's ride, was none to pleased about Espinoza's performance, either - and even Baffert's wife Jill got in on the act before it was all over.

Baffert lambasted Gomez's riding tactics. "I can't believe he rode him that way," said ther three-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer.

"It's ridiculous - when I saw him on the rail, I said, ‘What's he doing?'

"You can't be on the inside on this racetrack. He took him back, and he was fighting him. He never gave him a chance - he never gave him a chance to win.

"Garrett is a smart rider - I don't know why he takes that horse back. He wants to race."

Gomez countered: "I thought I was riding a good race. We re in a perfect trip. What happened shouldn't have happened.

"I was right behind Sidney's Candy and traveling well. I was just waiting to slide out. It was a matter of two or three jumps and I was going to be out of there."


Baffert also verbally attacked Ezpinoza, "Are you trying to kill my jockey?" he reportedly said.

Gomez said that he got crowded out by Who's Up, saying: "He almost went over his head because he bounced me off the fence, and then my horse stuck his legs in the ground to make sure he was protecting himself. he stopped to a walk."

Paul Atkinson, aboard Caracortado, had a clear view of the battle from behind.

He said: "It looked so bad in front of me, I said to myself, 'He's going down - we're both going down' because there was nowhere I could go. Thank God we didn't fall."

The bad blood between Gomez ane Edspinoza could have been caused by an undetailed incident during a race a week earlier.

Gomez claimed that Espinoza told him in the jockeys' room after the Santa Anita Derby: "I told you I'd get you."

Espinoza, who rode 2002 Kentucky winner War Emblem for Baffert, denied the allegation. "I understand he's angry because he's riding the favourite and he got beat," he said.

"It was a really tight spot and the turn is getting closer and closer. There's not enough room to be in there. I'm trying to help him out as much as I can."

Jill Baffert certainly didn't share Espinoza's view and she also laid into him after the race while her husband and racegoers looked on.

Baffert was asked if he might now replace Gomez on Lookin At Lucky. "I'm not even thinking of that right now," he responded. "I was just disappointed the way he rode the horse."