Nakatani’s Testimony Concludes, CHRB Ruling Expected in Few Days

After three days, testimony ended Sunday in the California Horse Racing Board’s hearing into a complaint that jockey Corey Nakatani improperly used his whip after a race was over.

Santa Anita stewards Pete Pedersen, Ingrid Fermin and Tom Ward said a ruling will be made after racing resumes Wednesday.

Nakatani, who began testifying Saturday, reiterated that he felt he had done nothing wrong in hitting Tillie’s Joy after the finish of the sixth race Dec. 29. After finishing sixth as the favorite in the $32,000 maiden claimer, Tillie’s Joy broke his left foreleg returning to be unsaddled and had to be destroyed.

“All I was trying to do was keep the horse’s attention,” he said. “My belief is that by hitting them on the shoulder or hollering at them is how to get their attention.

“He was acting green,” Nakatani said of the 2-year-old, who was making his third start. “He acted like he was going to [stop abruptly] and I didn’t know what he was going to do. I don’t feel like I did anything wrong.”

Closing arguments were then presented by CHRB investigator Frank Fink and Darrell Vienna, Nakatani’s attorney, and Vienna pointed to a portion of the CHRB whip rule, which states that a rider can use a whip “as an aid to maintain a horse running straight.”

After the hearing concluded, Charles Ottaviano, Tillie’s Joy’s owner, and his attorney, Andreas Birgel, Jr., indicated further legal action is possible after the stewards issue their ruling.

Ottaviano, a Granada Hills resident, had some strong opinions after hearing Nakatani on Sunday.

“I truly believe [Tillie’s Joy] broke his leg from shying from the whip,” he said. “Nakatani has changed his story many times.”

*

Urgent Request’s second victory in six American starts wasn’t nearly as profitable for owner Stewart Aitken as the first.

When the gray son of Rainbow Quest wired the field in the Santa Anita Handicap more than 10 months ago, Aitken collected $550,000 for the winner’s share of the purse and a $90,000 win bet along with a $30,000 place bet.

On Sunday, the Scottish owner, after further review, kept his hands in his pockets, but Urgent Request responded to the sloppy conditions and romped in the $157,000 San Marcos Handicap.

Originally scheduled for the turf, the San Marcos was switched to the main track midway through the card, thus putting on hold the 1996 debut of Breeders’ Cup Turf and 1995 Eclipse champion Northern Spur.

In a race reduced to six starters from an original field of 10, Urgent Request had no pressure to contend with on the front end, which is really the only time he’s effective, and went on to win by nine lengths in 2:02 1/5 for the 1 1/4 miles under Chris Antley.

Bon Point finished second, four lengths ahead of Virginia Carnival, then it was 11 to Celtic Arms.

“I was so confident I was going to bet $20,000,” said Aitken, who then proceeded to show those around him the check. “But when I saw the conditions, I thought, ‘My goodness, me. You can’t bet horses in weather like this. So I asked [the mutuel clerk] right before the race to cancel the bet.”

*

Funeral services will be held Wednesday at St. Rita’s Catholic Church in Sierra Made for owner-trainer Ray Bell, Sr., who died Saturday at 96.

Bell died at his Arcadia home as a result of complications from a broken hip suffered in November, his family said.

Horse Racing Notes

Jockey Goncalino Almeida, who suffered two broken legs in a spill in Saturday’s second race, will be out for a minimum of three months. Almeida is expected to be released from Arcadia Methodist Hospital today.