More on the post-race fight between Gomez and Espinoza
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from the Pasadena Star-News:
ARCADIA - Sidney's Candy toyed with his nine rivals in Saturday's $750,000 Santa Anita Derby, but the mood was anything but sweet afterward when jockeys Garrett Gomez and Victor Espinoza got into two physical altercations.
Gomez, who finished third aboard odds-on favorite Lookin At Lucky, accused Espinoza of deliberately driving him into the rail and causing him to take up sharply around the far turn. He went after Espinoza, who rode 23-1 long shot Who's Up, near the scales outside the winner's circle and landed several punches before they could be separated.
The duo tangled again in the jockeys' room.
"Things get heated, and when you're messing with my life I don't take it very lightly," Gomez said. "These are million dollar horses and they're to be treated like it.
"It was an incident that shouldn't have happened. It was a move that was uncalled for. The horse that caused it was dead and (Espinoza) looked at me and dropped right into me, bounced me off the fence on purpose.
"I mean, there's no need for it."
Espinoza maintained he stayed in his lane and it was Gomez and Lookin At Lucky who came out and bumped him and his mount, which finished ninth in the 10-horse field.
"When the turn comes, it gets tighter and tighter," Espinoza said. "He's been riding a long time and to take a shot like that ... he took a shot and sometimes it will work out and sometimes it won't.
"It's one of those things where he's just probably a little bit upset that he lost the race, and that's normal. But in that second, he kind of lost his temper. Nothing against him at all. There's no reason for me to be upset.
"Being a jockey and being in this sport, everyday something new happens."
Replays were inconclusive as to whom was at fault, but Lookin At Lucy's trainer, Bob Baffert, was upset at Gomez and said he gave his colt a "horrendous" ride.
The stewards posted the inquiry sign moments after the race and made no change when they ruled the runners involved finished behind Lookin At Lucky.
"I told him to keep (Lookin At Lucky) close, that they were going to go slow, (but) he took him back and he was fighting him, and it was horrendous," Baffert said. "You can't be on the inside on this track. The ride was horrendous.
"This is synthetic, they're not going to go fast. Keep him up there. He's so afraid to let this horse run early. It's a shame because that's not Garrett. He threw an interception. That happens."
Baffert, asked if Gomez would retain the mount on Lookin At Lucky for the Kentucky Derby, was non-committal.
"I'm not going to talk about that right now," he said. "But I just can't believe he rode him like that. When I saw him on the rail I thought, `What is he doing?' He must not have seen (retired Hall of Fame jockey) Jerry Bailey's tape. I'm going to buy him his DVD."
To add to the latest episode of "As Santa Anita Turns," Baffert's wife Jill lost her temper in the paddock before the next race, walked past Espinoza and berated him for his ride as her husband tried to talk to the 37-year-old native of Mexico City.
Lost in all the hoopla was the 4 1/2-length victory by Sidney's Candy, who was the 7-2 second betting choice and won his third consecutive graded stakes in front of 40,718 to become one of the major players for the Kentucky Derby on May 1.
Sidney's Candy bobbled at the start, but 20-year-old jockey Joe Talamo regrouped and sent the son of 2003 Pacific Classic winner Candy Ride on his merry way. They carved out soft fractions of 24, 48.50 and 1:12.33, much like during their victory in the San Felipe Stakes on March 13, and never seriously were threatened while running the 1 1/8 miles on Pro-Ride in 1:48.
Meanwhile, Lookin At Lucky, stuck on the fence, was fourth much of the way down the backside until the turn for home when Gomez stood up in the saddle and steadied the 4-5 favorite while trying to scoot through on the rail. It cost them a chance at victory.
The Richard Mandella-trained Setsuko finished second, 1 1/2 lengths in front of Lookin At Lucky, who suffered his second loss in eight starts.
"He seemed to be OK," Gomez said of the 2009 male juvenile champion. "I mean, he jumped back and tried to come home, but (Sidney's Candy) had opened up seven (lengths) before I got through the hole.
"Hopefully, he comes back well and lives to fight another day."
ARCADIA - Sidney's Candy toyed with his nine rivals in Saturday's $750,000 Santa Anita Derby, but the mood was anything but sweet afterward when jockeys Garrett Gomez and Victor Espinoza got into two physical altercations.
Gomez, who finished third aboard odds-on favorite Lookin At Lucky, accused Espinoza of deliberately driving him into the rail and causing him to take up sharply around the far turn. He went after Espinoza, who rode 23-1 long shot Who's Up, near the scales outside the winner's circle and landed several punches before they could be separated.
The duo tangled again in the jockeys' room.
"Things get heated, and when you're messing with my life I don't take it very lightly," Gomez said. "These are million dollar horses and they're to be treated like it.
"It was an incident that shouldn't have happened. It was a move that was uncalled for. The horse that caused it was dead and (Espinoza) looked at me and dropped right into me, bounced me off the fence on purpose.
"I mean, there's no need for it."
Espinoza maintained he stayed in his lane and it was Gomez and Lookin At Lucky who came out and bumped him and his mount, which finished ninth in the 10-horse field.
"When the turn comes, it gets tighter and tighter," Espinoza said. "He's been riding a long time and to take a shot like that ... he took a shot and sometimes it will work out and sometimes it won't.
"It's one of those things where he's just probably a little bit upset that he lost the race, and that's normal. But in that second, he kind of lost his temper. Nothing against him at all. There's no reason for me to be upset.
"Being a jockey and being in this sport, everyday something new happens."
Replays were inconclusive as to whom was at fault, but Lookin At Lucy's trainer, Bob Baffert, was upset at Gomez and said he gave his colt a "horrendous" ride.
The stewards posted the inquiry sign moments after the race and made no change when they ruled the runners involved finished behind Lookin At Lucky.
"I told him to keep (Lookin At Lucky) close, that they were going to go slow, (but) he took him back and he was fighting him, and it was horrendous," Baffert said. "You can't be on the inside on this track. The ride was horrendous.
"This is synthetic, they're not going to go fast. Keep him up there. He's so afraid to let this horse run early. It's a shame because that's not Garrett. He threw an interception. That happens."
Baffert, asked if Gomez would retain the mount on Lookin At Lucky for the Kentucky Derby, was non-committal.
"I'm not going to talk about that right now," he said. "But I just can't believe he rode him like that. When I saw him on the rail I thought, `What is he doing?' He must not have seen (retired Hall of Fame jockey) Jerry Bailey's tape. I'm going to buy him his DVD."
To add to the latest episode of "As Santa Anita Turns," Baffert's wife Jill lost her temper in the paddock before the next race, walked past Espinoza and berated him for his ride as her husband tried to talk to the 37-year-old native of Mexico City.
Lost in all the hoopla was the 4 1/2-length victory by Sidney's Candy, who was the 7-2 second betting choice and won his third consecutive graded stakes in front of 40,718 to become one of the major players for the Kentucky Derby on May 1.
Sidney's Candy bobbled at the start, but 20-year-old jockey Joe Talamo regrouped and sent the son of 2003 Pacific Classic winner Candy Ride on his merry way. They carved out soft fractions of 24, 48.50 and 1:12.33, much like during their victory in the San Felipe Stakes on March 13, and never seriously were threatened while running the 1 1/8 miles on Pro-Ride in 1:48.
Meanwhile, Lookin At Lucky, stuck on the fence, was fourth much of the way down the backside until the turn for home when Gomez stood up in the saddle and steadied the 4-5 favorite while trying to scoot through on the rail. It cost them a chance at victory.
The Richard Mandella-trained Setsuko finished second, 1 1/2 lengths in front of Lookin At Lucky, who suffered his second loss in eight starts.
"He seemed to be OK," Gomez said of the 2009 male juvenile champion. "I mean, he jumped back and tried to come home, but (Sidney's Candy) had opened up seven (lengths) before I got through the hole.
"Hopefully, he comes back well and lives to fight another day."
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