Bodog Beat

Jockey Jeremy Rose has been suspended for six months. (AP Images)

Jockey Jeremy Rose was suspended for six months after a stewards' hearing on June 24th for whipping the horse he was riding Appeal to the City in the face during the third race at Delaware Park June 23rd.

Rose, 29 won the 2005 Preakness and Belmont Stakes (both gr. I) was riding Afleet Alex. In 2001, he was honored with an Eclipse Award as top apprentice jockey. Since 2000, Rose has won a total of 1,730 career races from 8,600 mounts.

Appeal to the City, a 5-year-old daughter of Appealing Skier, was first examined by commission veterinarian John Peters, after which she was transported to the University of Pennsylvania School for Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center for further treatment and examination. The executive director of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission said though the injuries were serious, he believed the mare would be OK and would not lose her eyesight.

Attorney Alan Foreman, who is representing Rose, said “Jeremy has told me that (the whipping incident) was not intentional,” Foreman said. “It was an accident; he knew something was wrong immediately when he brought the horse back. He reported it immediately to Howard Wolfendale that he thought he might have hit the horse in the eye.

"I can tell you that there’s nobody more upset than Jeremy Rose. There’s nothing more upsetting to Jeremy than the fact he may have injured this horse. Jeremy is a beloved rider — this is a very difficult situation for him, but from the minute this happened, he did the right thing, and he’s going to do the right thing, so I don’t think that’s even going to be an issue.”

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