By Richard Rosenblatt, Associated Press, 5/7/2004 18:40
Kentucky Derby winning jockey Stewart Elliott pleaded guilty to assault three years ago, but didn't disclose the information when applying for a license to ride at Churchill Downs.
His failure to do so is unlikely to affect Elliott's winning ride aboard Smarty Jones in last Saturday's Derby, though the 39-year-old rider could face disciplinary action, the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority said Friday.
It also raises questions about his riding status for next Saturday's Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Messages left on Elliott's cell phone Friday weren't immediately returned. His agent, Ray Lopez, said Elliott made a mistake when filling out the form to ride in Kentucky.
The form, a copy of which was obtained from the Kentucky racing authority, includes eight questions, one of which asks if the applicant has been arrested, indicted or convicted or has pleaded guilty to any criminal offense within the last 10 years.
Elliott checked ''No'' because, according to his agent, the jockey did not realize the time frame was 10 years.
''He made a mistake,'' Lopez said. ''We've talked to stewards in Kentucky and Maryland and everything is cleared up. It won't affect the Derby, and it's not going to affect the Preakness.''
Elliott pleaded guilty in June 2001 to aggravated assault stemming from a fight with a friend inside the man's Burlington County, N.J., home in 2000. Elliott was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay $13,900 to cover the victim's medical bills, according to court records.
Elliott beat Alexander Kovakik with a beer bottle, pool cue and wooden stool, according to the grand jury indictment charging the jockey with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon and unlawful possession.
The latter two charges were dropped after Elliott agreed to plead guilty.
In April 2002, a judge cut short Elliott's probation by two months after his lawyer said New Jersey racing officials would not renew his jockey's license.
Disclosure of a criminal record doesn't automatically disqualify a jockey from obtaining a license in Kentucky.
If an application has been falsified, a jockey could face fines, suspension, revocation or ''other disciplinary measures,'' according to the Kentucky racing authority.
Kentucky racing officials planned to investigate, but it could be two weeks before a decision is issued, said racing authority spokesman Billy Reed.
''We're confident this will have no bearing whatsoever on the outcome of the Kentucky Derby,'' Reed said.
Michael Hopkins, the executive director of the Maryland Racing Commission, said Elliott has been granted a license, but would not reveal whether the jockey disclosed his criminal record on the form.
Even if he did, Hopkins said, that wouldn't necessarily mean Elliott's request for a license would be rejected.
''It's depending on what the offense was,'' Hopkins said.
Hopkins said he was unaware of Elliott's guilty plea but added, ''I'll have my investigators look into it.''
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Kentucky Derby winning jockey Stewart Elliott pleaded guilty to assault three years ago, but didn't disclose the information when applying for a license to ride at Churchill Downs.
His failure to do so is unlikely to affect Elliott's winning ride aboard Smarty Jones in last Saturday's Derby, though the 39-year-old rider could face disciplinary action, the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority said Friday.
It also raises questions about his riding status for next Saturday's Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Messages left on Elliott's cell phone Friday weren't immediately returned. His agent, Ray Lopez, said Elliott made a mistake when filling out the form to ride in Kentucky.
The form, a copy of which was obtained from the Kentucky racing authority, includes eight questions, one of which asks if the applicant has been arrested, indicted or convicted or has pleaded guilty to any criminal offense within the last 10 years.
Elliott checked ''No'' because, according to his agent, the jockey did not realize the time frame was 10 years.
''He made a mistake,'' Lopez said. ''We've talked to stewards in Kentucky and Maryland and everything is cleared up. It won't affect the Derby, and it's not going to affect the Preakness.''
Elliott pleaded guilty in June 2001 to aggravated assault stemming from a fight with a friend inside the man's Burlington County, N.J., home in 2000. Elliott was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay $13,900 to cover the victim's medical bills, according to court records.
Elliott beat Alexander Kovakik with a beer bottle, pool cue and wooden stool, according to the grand jury indictment charging the jockey with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon and unlawful possession.
The latter two charges were dropped after Elliott agreed to plead guilty.
In April 2002, a judge cut short Elliott's probation by two months after his lawyer said New Jersey racing officials would not renew his jockey's license.
Disclosure of a criminal record doesn't automatically disqualify a jockey from obtaining a license in Kentucky.
If an application has been falsified, a jockey could face fines, suspension, revocation or ''other disciplinary measures,'' according to the Kentucky racing authority.
Kentucky racing officials planned to investigate, but it could be two weeks before a decision is issued, said racing authority spokesman Billy Reed.
''We're confident this will have no bearing whatsoever on the outcome of the Kentucky Derby,'' Reed said.
Michael Hopkins, the executive director of the Maryland Racing Commission, said Elliott has been granted a license, but would not reveal whether the jockey disclosed his criminal record on the form.
Even if he did, Hopkins said, that wouldn't necessarily mean Elliott's request for a license would be rejected.
''It's depending on what the offense was,'' Hopkins said.
Hopkins said he was unaware of Elliott's guilty plea but added, ''I'll have my investigators look into it.''
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