Stewards clear Santos of wrongdoing
Posted: Monday May 12, 2003 12:31 PM
Updated: Monday May 12, 2003 3:24 PM
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Jose Santos was cleared Monday of wrongdoing in his Kentucky Derby victory aboard Funny Cide after track officials found he had nothing in his hand besides his whip.
Three Churchill Downs stewards determined Santos followed the rules of racing, ending a controversy that had threatened to tarnish thoroughbred racing and disrupt the Preakness Stakes.
"We are confident that Jose Santos carried nothing more than a whip in his right hand as Funny Cide won the Kentucky Derby," chief steward Bernie Hettel said at a news conference.
"There is no evidence that would suggest that Mr. Santos had any prohibited device in his possession or that he engaged in any improper actions during the race."
The officials' investigation was prompted by a photograph called to their attention by The Miami Herald.
The Getty Images photo depicts a dark area in the space between Santos' hand and his whip. It turned out to be the silks of Jerry Bailey, who finished second aboard Empire Maker, and part of a strap from his goggles, Hettel said.
"I am thankful this nightmare is over," Santos said. "A week ago, I was in the happiest moment of my life. And then this photograph came in, in Miami, and destroyed my career, actually."
The stewards met Monday at the track with Santos, his lawyer and his agent after spending the weekend poring over scores of photos and videotape.
The stewards also searched the racetrack and turf course where Funny Cide and Santos crossed for postrace ceremonies and did not find any illegal device, a racing source told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Funny Cide, a 12-1 shot, beat favorite Empire Maker by 1 3/4 lengths on May 3 to become the first gelding to win the Derby since 1929.
The horse could have been disqualified if the stewards had determined that Santos carried something illegal, such as a battery or hand-held electrical device to shock Funny Cide into running faster.
A Derby winner has been disqualified only once -- Dancer's Image in 1968 after he was given banned medication. Forward Pass was declared the winner.
When he got the news, Funny Cide owner Jack Knowlton was in Albany, N.Y., with other horsemen and politicians at the state Capitol to celebrate Funny Cide as the first New York-bred horse to win the Derby.
They cheered and applauded when track spokesman John Asher announced the stewards' decision on TV. There were about 30 people on hand, including the owners, their families and Santos' wife, Rita.
"Jose Santos, his integrity is just miles above anyone on the racetrack," Knowlton said. "Anybody who looks at his accomplishments, looks at his record, would absolutely agree with that."
He added that the euphoria of winning the Derby vanished when the initial questions surfaced.
"We were on a roll, on a high, up until about 9 o'clock Saturday morning," Knowlton said. "We just felt like we were punched in the stomach."
The owner can now turn his attention to Saturday's Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown
Trainer Bob Baffert, who will saddle Senor Swinger in the Preakness, said the stewards' ruling was good for racing.
"In this game, integrity is very important for us and for the gamblers," Baffert said.
"The bad thing is that it's the Kentucky Derby -- our most sacred race -- and that's why it's such a big deal."
Santos won the Eclipse Award in 1988 as the nation's outstanding jockey and was the leading rider in purse earnings from 1986 to '89. This was his first Derby win, but he did ride 43-1 shot Volponi to victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic last October.
The Herald reported Saturday that Santos said he carried an object in his hand during the race and that he described it as a "cue ring" to alert an outrider to his presence. An outrider is a rider aboard a pony who can guide a thoroughbred before and after the race.
However, Santos later said there had been a misunderstanding. The jockey, who is from Chile and speaks English with a heavy accent, said he was talking about a "Q-Ray" bracelet he wears for arthritis.
Frank Carlson, a Herald reporter, told New York Racing Association vice president Bill Nader that there might have been confusion when he interviewed the jockey. Carlson's conversation with Nader was released in a statement by the NYRA at Belmont on Saturday.
Later, in a statement released by the Herald, Carlson said he went through his notes and believed he quoted the jockey accurately.
"What I wrote and what was in the newspaper is what I understood him to say," Carlson said.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/horse_racing/news/2003/05/12/santos_cleared_ap/
Posted: Monday May 12, 2003 12:31 PM
Updated: Monday May 12, 2003 3:24 PM
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Jose Santos was cleared Monday of wrongdoing in his Kentucky Derby victory aboard Funny Cide after track officials found he had nothing in his hand besides his whip.
Three Churchill Downs stewards determined Santos followed the rules of racing, ending a controversy that had threatened to tarnish thoroughbred racing and disrupt the Preakness Stakes.
"We are confident that Jose Santos carried nothing more than a whip in his right hand as Funny Cide won the Kentucky Derby," chief steward Bernie Hettel said at a news conference.
"There is no evidence that would suggest that Mr. Santos had any prohibited device in his possession or that he engaged in any improper actions during the race."
The officials' investigation was prompted by a photograph called to their attention by The Miami Herald.
The Getty Images photo depicts a dark area in the space between Santos' hand and his whip. It turned out to be the silks of Jerry Bailey, who finished second aboard Empire Maker, and part of a strap from his goggles, Hettel said.
"I am thankful this nightmare is over," Santos said. "A week ago, I was in the happiest moment of my life. And then this photograph came in, in Miami, and destroyed my career, actually."
The stewards met Monday at the track with Santos, his lawyer and his agent after spending the weekend poring over scores of photos and videotape.
The stewards also searched the racetrack and turf course where Funny Cide and Santos crossed for postrace ceremonies and did not find any illegal device, a racing source told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Funny Cide, a 12-1 shot, beat favorite Empire Maker by 1 3/4 lengths on May 3 to become the first gelding to win the Derby since 1929.
The horse could have been disqualified if the stewards had determined that Santos carried something illegal, such as a battery or hand-held electrical device to shock Funny Cide into running faster.
A Derby winner has been disqualified only once -- Dancer's Image in 1968 after he was given banned medication. Forward Pass was declared the winner.
When he got the news, Funny Cide owner Jack Knowlton was in Albany, N.Y., with other horsemen and politicians at the state Capitol to celebrate Funny Cide as the first New York-bred horse to win the Derby.
They cheered and applauded when track spokesman John Asher announced the stewards' decision on TV. There were about 30 people on hand, including the owners, their families and Santos' wife, Rita.
"Jose Santos, his integrity is just miles above anyone on the racetrack," Knowlton said. "Anybody who looks at his accomplishments, looks at his record, would absolutely agree with that."
He added that the euphoria of winning the Derby vanished when the initial questions surfaced.
"We were on a roll, on a high, up until about 9 o'clock Saturday morning," Knowlton said. "We just felt like we were punched in the stomach."
The owner can now turn his attention to Saturday's Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown
Trainer Bob Baffert, who will saddle Senor Swinger in the Preakness, said the stewards' ruling was good for racing.
"In this game, integrity is very important for us and for the gamblers," Baffert said.
"The bad thing is that it's the Kentucky Derby -- our most sacred race -- and that's why it's such a big deal."
Santos won the Eclipse Award in 1988 as the nation's outstanding jockey and was the leading rider in purse earnings from 1986 to '89. This was his first Derby win, but he did ride 43-1 shot Volponi to victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic last October.
The Herald reported Saturday that Santos said he carried an object in his hand during the race and that he described it as a "cue ring" to alert an outrider to his presence. An outrider is a rider aboard a pony who can guide a thoroughbred before and after the race.
However, Santos later said there had been a misunderstanding. The jockey, who is from Chile and speaks English with a heavy accent, said he was talking about a "Q-Ray" bracelet he wears for arthritis.
Frank Carlson, a Herald reporter, told New York Racing Association vice president Bill Nader that there might have been confusion when he interviewed the jockey. Carlson's conversation with Nader was released in a statement by the NYRA at Belmont on Saturday.
Later, in a statement released by the Herald, Carlson said he went through his notes and believed he quoted the jockey accurately.
"What I wrote and what was in the newspaper is what I understood him to say," Carlson said.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/horse_racing/news/2003/05/12/santos_cleared_ap/
