New York stewards fined jockey Junior Alvarado $3,000 and suspended him for three racing days for exceeding the permitted number of riding-crop strikes in urging Michael and Katherine Ball's Chief Wallabee to a fourth-place finish in the June 6 Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.
The ruling, issued July 17 after Alvarado waived a hearing, noted that his suspension is to be served June 21 and June 25-26.
Stewards determined Alvarado used his crop aboard the Bitt Mott trainee in the $2 million Belmont Stakes eight times, twice over the limit as allowed under Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority rules. His sanctions were increased because this was his third violation within a 180-day period. His earlier riding-crop infractions during this span occurred in riding Grand Job to a runner-up finish in the April 4 Madison Stakes (G1) at Keeneland and Spiced Up to finish second in an allowance race there a day earlier.
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Alvarado was sanctioned twice last year for riding-crop violations, including for exceeding the threshold in guiding Sovereignty to victory in the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs. He has 13 riding-crop violations since HISA's rules were first implemented in July 2022—a move made by HISA in the interests of optics and horse welfare.
Critics of the riding-crop restriction argue that modern riding crops are kinder on horses than those in previous eras, with most of the encouragement from the strikes coming from poppers that produce a loud sound.
