The difficulties of transitioning to a national management system for Thoroughbred racing were clearly felt during the fourth race on July 13 at Belterra . Park where a 3 year old kid named chubby Perkeo was disqualified from second to fifth place because her shot violated the equestrian Integrity and Safety Authority’s excessive spanking rule.
Belterra Park administrators have ruled rider Eder Martinez violated the Class 2 crop by hitting Perkeo 11 times reported during the one-mile and 70-yard title race. However, the order of termination and the pari-mutuel payout should not have been affected by the breach, according to HISA rules.
HISA has three classifications for crop use violations. 1st place for 10 or more strikes above the six-warning limit and fined $750, 30% loss of rider earnings, five-day suspension and horse removed from earnings from wallet. Class 2 is for four to nine strikes over the limit of six warnings and a $500 fine, three-day suspension, 20% loss of earnings, and loss of the horse’s wallet. 3rd place is for one to three over-the-limit strikes and a $250 fine, 10% loss of jockey player earnings, one-day suspension, and no loss of wallet for the horse.
According to Christina Estvanko’s husband, Richard, coaching Perkeo to owner Sherri Balo-Williams, Martinez was fined $500 and suspended for three days. The Estvankos ran their race stability together.
Perkeo is the second highest price in this sector with a ratio of 4-1. Her disqualification moved the second pick 5-2 to the second and a combined horse 3-5 with the winner entering third place. A trio of 50 coins pays $4.
“As anyone might expect, there will be some growing difficulty as we begin to roll out HISA,” a HISA spokesperson said July 14. “Clearly, a violation of the season rule The service does not affect the order of closing or pari-mutuel bets; it only affects pocket earnings and/or account suspensions after the fact.
“There has been some confusion in Ohio about this rule over the past few days. This was cleared up with the Ohio Board of Directors this morning. We look forward to continuing to work with management and stakeholders. other stakeholders in the industry as we usher in this new era of safety and make sure everyone is educated about the rules.”
Estvanko said she had heard from a representative for the Jockeys’ Guild that the ruling against Martinez could be appealed.
Tanya Boulmetis, deputy director of the Ohio State Racing Commission, told BloodHorse the incident is still under investigation and commission executives have yet to have a chance to speak with Belterra managers.
“My general understanding is that there has been a misunderstanding of the rule and how extenuating circumstances apply, but it is still under investigation,” she said.
Estvanko said she watched the replay of the match and honestly couldn’t tell when Martinez was merely swinging the whip in the air when he actually made contact.
“I’ve seen far more aggressive rides than the one she’s been in,” she said, noting that other riders in Beltra told her after Perkeo’s disqualification that a The rider two days earlier at Belterra had hit a horse 14 times during a race. and was never disqualified. Jockey Vernon Bush on the winning boat La La Angel in the first race at Belterra July 12 is said to have been disciplined.
“But the order of that race hasn’t changed and the prize money hasn’t changed,” Estvanko said. “The real betting public are the ones who got stuck in this situation.”
In addition to the inappropriate change to the ending order, the claim for Perkeo was dropped by the managers and veterinarians who reviewed the video, rather than the vet at the test cage. experimenter, who assessed the horse’s fitness, according to Estvanko. She said the procedure done at Belterra’s test barn was very different from that done on another horse they had raced the day before at JACK. Thistledownwhere the veterinarian who conducted the sound level test made a claim about the condition of the claim.
“I watched the exam and it didn’t match what I saw in Thistledown,” Estvanko said. “The way this horse flexes before being jogged is pretty harsh and I’ve worked for several vets. I think the goal was to have consistency in the rules, and we even did. there can be no consistency in this state.”
When Estvankos was told that the claim had been invalidated, no one at the checking depot could tell them why. They were then informed that a video had been sent to the supervisors and veterinarians who had made the call into the void.
“More contradictions,” says Estvanko. “We lost money in our wallet, then we lost our claim and we still haven’t got contact management.
“It’s extremely frustrating because they seem to be picking which rules are being enforced,” she continued. “My husband and I both grew up doing this, and we do it because we love it. But over the past few weeks, I’ve lost my love for horse racing.”
