Bejarano, in Oaklawn Stakes, is Latest Jockey to be Penalized for Misjudging Finish

[Wandering Eyes]

Jockeys either misjudging the location of an alternate finish line or failing to ride all-out under a traditional wire placement have been in the news on four occasions since October. But after apparently failing to realize race that s one-mile stakes on Saturday ended at the sixteenth pole under Oaklawn Park's short-stretch configuration for races at that distance, the 22-year veteran Rafael Bejarano got penalized for essentially the opposite infraction.

Timing his ride on a closer like there was still half a furlong to go, Bejarano kept whipping and driving his 6-1 shot after other jockeys had already eased up at the sixteenth-pole finish, propelling his fourth-place horse up to even with the top three as they galloped out after the outcome had already been decided.

On Monday, the Oaklawn stewards fined the 42-year-old Bejarano $200 for “misjudging the wire and striking his mount after the finish.” The incident occurred aboard Henro (Collected) in the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes Jan. 25. Henro was beaten a neck for third and 3 1/4 lengths for the win.

Three races later on Saturday's card, Bejarano wired the featured GIII Southwest S. aboard Speed King (Volatile).

It was not clear at deadline for this story whether Bejarano, who has been riding regularly at Oaklawn the last three seasons, plans to appeal his fine. He is second in earnings and third in victories at the current Oaklawn meet.

On Oct. 16, 2024, 10-year veteran jockey Luan Machado was suspended for three days and fined $2,500 for easing up at the alternate sixteenth-pole finish wire at Keeneland Race Course, costing his mount, who had been clear by open lengths, a near-certain victory. Then on Nov. 28, after “easing up on his mount approaching the finish without adequate cause” in a traditional-finish race at Churchill Downs, the stewards there suspended Machado four days and fined him $1,000.

In addition to the gaffes at the higher-profile race meets in Kentucky and Arkansas, riding hard to the appropriate finish line has also been a problem lately at Mahoning Valley Race Course, where only one finish line means no confusion about the wire placement.

A Dec. 26 ride at Mahoning by Luis Antonio Gonzalez resulted in a 15-day suspension after Gonzalez geared down a 7-5 favorite in the final sixteenth and lost by a head after getting nailed by a hard-ridden, surging rival.

On Jan. 6, 2025, Terry “T.D.” Houghton was suspended 30 days by the stewards at Mahoning for failing “to use his utmost exertion to obtain a winning performance by standing up and appear[ing] to have stopped riding before the wire.” The incident resulted in another loss by a head.

Gonzalez and Houghton, who have both been riding for nearly three decades, had their suspensions halved by the stewards because they did not appeal the penalties.

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