HOT SPRINGS — Ricardo Santana Jr. finished the 2016 Oaklawn Park meet as the track’s leading rider with 80 victories, the final one coming in Saturday’s 11th race, the $1 million Arkansas Derby.
But Santana, 23, is facing nearly a month’s worth of suspensions to start the 2017 meet.
Santana rode Creator to a 2-length victory in the Arkansas Derby just hours after being handed his fourth suspension of the week and fifth of the meet.
The Arkansas Racing Commission issued a fiveday suspension to Santana on Saturday for an incident during Friday’s racing. If all of the suspensions are upheld, Santana, the track’s leading rider the last four years, will not be allowed to ride for the first 21 days of the 57-day meet in 2017.
Saturday’s suspension was for the days of Feb. 3-5 and Feb. 9-10. That ruling may be appealed within three days to the ARC.
If all of the violations are upheld, Santana will not be allowed to race at any track.
“He won’t be racing anywhere,” said Larry Snyder, a former jockey and a steward at Oaklawn Park. “That’s true for every track in the country.”
Santana’s latest suspension came for moving from behind another horse without being clear while riding Star Canyon in the fourth race on Friday. Star Canyon bumped Zelda Can Dance causing the later to lose momentum and fall back before being able to rally to finish second. Star Canyon won the race but was disqualified from first to second behind Zelda Can Dance.
Santana’s 80 victories are the most since Tim Doocy won 86 mounts in 1998. Santana also racked up 58 seconds and 47 thirds in a combined 362 mounts. Santana won on 22 percent of his mounts and finished in the money 51 percent.
The Arkansas Derby was Santana’s only winner on Saturday. Ramon Vazquez finished second in the jockey standings with 42 victories.
Steve Asmussen won the trainer title for the seventh time in the past 10 years. Asmussen saddled 46 winners, 20 more than Chris Hartman, who won the 2015 training title with 34.
Asmussen also trained his third Arkansas Derby winner in Creator. He had previously trained Private Emblem in 2002 and Curlin in 2007.
Danny Caldwell of Poteau, Okla., finished as the meet’s leading owner with 22 winners. Caldwell had a combined 64 horses finish in the money, just under 50 percent of his starters.
Steve Landers of Little Rock compiled 10 winners and had 19 horses in the money.
Sports on 04/17/2016