In a ruling issued March 30, Turf Paradise stewards suspended trainer Juan Pablo Silva for 180 days and fined him $2,625 for "conducting business in a manner detrimental to the best interests of horse racing in Arizona."
Silva previously trained Juror, a heavily favored maiden claimer who was quickly pulled up by jockey Fausto Da Silva strides into the fourth race there March 10. Earlier this month, Da Silva was suspended 30 days for his role in the incident. The jockey has been given a stay while his case is under appeal.
The race drew attention from frustrated horseplayers after Da Silva immediately restrained the Tijuana Racing Stables-owned Tapit gelding early in the clubhouse turn of the two-turn race. Juror had made 12 prior starts for several trainers and went off at odds of 1-20.
A tote investigation by the track mutuel director yielded no immediate irregularities in betting patterns, Turf Paradise general manager Vince Francia indicated earlier this month.
Juror was vanned off from the March 10 race and was claimed for $3,500 by trainer Eliska Kubinova for owners Gary and Deborah Lusk and D. J. Saddler. Turf Paradise does not have a voided claim rule, whereby a claimed horse declared unsound is returned to its original owner.
Francia told BloodHorse earlier in March that the track would like to implement such a voided claim rule but is awaiting a rule change on a state level.
Arizona rules state that "a claimed horse shall race for the account of the horse's original owner but title to the horse shall transfer to the claimant when the horse becomes a starting horse." Thereafter, "after title to the horse transfers to the claimant, the claimant becomes the owner of the horse regardless of whether it is alive or dead, sound or unsound, or injured before, during, or after the claiming race," the rules continue.
Stewards cited the jockey for not taking Juror pre-race "to the track vet for an examination after he suspected that the horse might have an injury."
In its ruling toward Silva, published on Twitter Wednesday by Turf Paradise announcer Craig Braddick, stewards concluded after two days of testimony that Silva "willfully entered" Juror "knowing he was sore and unfit to race." Stewards took statements from the jockey and two veterinarians into consideration.
They further wrote that aggravating circumstances in their ruling included Silva perjuring himself and "his history of multiple rule violations."
Stewards wrote that their ruling was forwarded to Rudy Casillas, director of the Arizona Department of Racing, "with recommendation that further action is taken up to and including revocation of (his) license."
Arizona Racing Commission public information officer Maxwell Hartgraves could not immediately relay if Silva had filed an appeal or been granted a stay under appeal.
