Desormeaux has an eye on the future with Gulfstream ‘trial’

Jockey Kent Desormeaux’s return to Gulfstream Park this weekend comes with an eye to the future.

“It’s trial and error,” the veteran jockey told Horse Racing Nation on Thursday.

Desormeaux said he has a meeting with California racing officials June 7 that “is going to determine whether I’m staying or leaving.”

“I am under a strict protocol that’s got a stranglehold on my ability to work in the morning,” he said. “And it’s causing complications for my ability to compete with my local riders.”

Desormeaux is working with a probationary license stemming from a 2022 suspension for disorderly conduct, according to his agent, Jose Santos Jr. As a result, he is required to check with investigators before riding.

“The investigators don’t arrive until 7,” Desormeaux said. “So it depletes my ability to compete with my peers.”

Desormeaux was suspended by Del Mar stewards in August 2022 was because of aggressive behavior in the Del Mar RV park area in November 2021, as HRN previously reported. Santa Anita had suspended Desormeaux for failing to appear at a hearing related to the incident.

Under the Del Mar ruling, Desormeaux was required to sign a testing agreement with The Winners Foundation. Details of the agreement were not available. The ruling threatened suspension if he doesn’t abide by the foundation’s recommendations. The foundation helps racetrack workers with substance abuse and other problems.

Santa Anita stewards ruled on June 9, 2023, that Desormeaux reached a settlement agreement with the California Horse Racing Board that required him to be tested by a CHRB investigator before entering the track to exercise a horse or participate in a race. If the presence of alcohol were detected, he would be summarily suspended pending a hearing.

Another stipulation was that when his jockey license was renewed, a testing agreement would be part of his next license period. Desormeaux renewed his license in March through February 2027.

Desormeaux has a record of 31: 3-4-5 this year, all at Santa Anita.

He is scheduled to ride Llamarada and Lady Cha Cha in optional-claiming allowances at Gulfstream on Friday. He also will ride Poliglata in a claiming race Saturday and Cajun Fool in a maiden claiming Sunday.

“They’re all super live,” Santos said. “They’ve all got a good shot to win.”