Monmouth Stewards Meet on Haskell DQ But No Ruling Yet

The Monmouth Park stewards conducted a July 29 hearing via teleconference on jockey Flavien Prat's ride aboard Hot Rod Charlie in the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) but, according to a track official, are not expected to announce their ruling on whether he will be suspended until Aug. 1. A call to Prat's agent, Brad Pegram, was not immediately returned. Hot Rod Charlie crossed the finish line first by a nose over Mandaloun in the Haskell, but the 4-5 favorite was disqualified and placed seventh and last for drifting in during the stretch run and clipping heels with Midnight Bourbon. The incident caused Midnight Bourbon to stumble and unseat jockey Paco Lopez. Neither Midnight Bourbon nor Lopez were seriously injured. Due to regulations put in place this year by the New Jersey Racing Commission, Prat and the other jockeys in the race could not use their crop except as a safety measure. Immediately after the race, Prat told BloodHorse he believed he could have prevented Hot Rod Charlie from drifting if he was able to provide left-handed encouragement with his crop. The California-based Prat is the early leader at the Del Mar meet with 12 wins prior to Thursday's card.