In Louisville, Kentucky, jockey Junior Alvarado is contemplating whether to challenge a fine and suspension that were imposed after his victory riding Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby on May 3. The Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) fined Alvarado $62,000 and handed him a two-day suspension for exceeding the whip limit during the race, where he used it eight times as opposed to the allowed six.
Alvarado has a ten-day window to decide if he will appeal this ruling. “I want to resolve this quickly and leave it behind, not dragging it out any longer,” Alvarado expressed in an interview with the Daily Racing Form last weekend. “However, I also don’t want to just accept it as if they’re right without challenging it. I want to advance and correct something. As can be seen, the penalties are unjust. Perhaps an appeal could lead to a favorable outcome in this matter.”
Previously, on December 1, Alvarado had been cited for using his whip seven times while winning the $250,000 Cherokee Mile at Churchill Downs. Recently, he engaged in a video conference with Churchill Downs stewards to discuss the Kentucky Derby incident.
“I didn’t mistreat the horse,” Alvarado asserted to DRF. “Even if they claim to prove that I used the whip twice more than allowed, it wasn’t done abusively. The entire situation is absurd. The punishment is disproportionate to the supposed crime, and in my opinion, there was no crime at all.”
Should Alvarado choose not to pursue an appeal, he will observe the two-day suspension on May 29-30. Fortunately, he is based in New York, which does not have scheduled races on those days.