Gulfstream Park stewards announced March 9 a 14-day suspension to jockey Paco Lopez for careless riding in the spill-marred Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) March 5 and placed the rider on probation through the remainder of the championship meet.
Associate steward Stephen DiMauro added details were being worked out as to when Lopez would begin serving his days.
Lopez was aboard eventual second-place finisher In Due Time in an inside stalking position leaving the second turn of the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth Stakes before angling his mount out in search of room. In Due Time appeared to bump A. P.'s Secret, who then made contact with High Oak, who fell. Another horse in the race, Galt, fell after being unable to avoid High Oak in front of him. Both horses escaped serious injury.
Jockeys Junior Alvarado and Joel Rosario suffered minor injuries when unseated from their fallen horses. Rosario skipped his mounts March 6 at Oaklawn Park, and Alvarado was off his scheduled mounts Sunday and Wednesday at Gulfstream.
Alvarado told TVG's Simon Bray Sunday that he had a sprained ankle that could take a week or two to mend.
Stewards conducted an inquiry but made no change to the order of finish. Qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby were also at stake in the Fountain of Youth.
Simplification won the Fountain of Youth but was not involved in the incident, having circled the field in a wide position.
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The spill occurred shortly before the stretch when a head-on television view gives stewards its best angle of running lanes.
Citing its desire to "better serve the stewards and customers," Gulfstream announced Wednesday that additional cameras would be added and installed in the near future to provide better views of each race on dirt, turf, and its synthetic Tapeta course.
"I've seen limited views of it and probably not anything that resembles a steward's view, which they didn't show for some reason," Bill Mott, trainer of High Oak and Galt, told BloodHorse Sunday. "Maybe because they realized they should have taken the horse down, but it appeared a horse made a move from the inside, bumping another horse which bumped us, and we clipped heels with it. Everybody thinks the horse with Paco caused the problem. Kind of a chain reaction."
The field was in a tight pack at the time, racing in close quarters. Alvarado also told TVG on Sunday that he and jockey Tyler Gaffalione, aboard A. P.'s Secret, were already hollering at other jockeys on the second turn, alerting riders of their precarious position between horses.
We're glad to see @JuniorandKellyA at the races @GulfstreamPark today following yesterday's incident in the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes. He shares with @SimonTVG how he's feeling , discusses what happened in the moment of the race & when he plans to return to riding. pic.twitter.com/VHHIpzJQON
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 6, 2022
"Tyler and me, we were screaming and yelling a little bit, just to make sure everybody keeps a straight path," Alvarado said before noting that bumping that took place.
Lopez has previously faced discipline for careless riding in Florida. Twice in the first half of 2019, he received 30-day suspensions from Gulfstream Park stewards for careless riding.
At the time of his first 2019 suspension, DiMauro noted Lopez's suspension was lengthened due to multiple occurrences "of being either reprimanded or fined or suspended."
Lopez is currently the third leading rider at the championship meet behind Luis Saez and Gaffalione.
