Ryan Barber

Ryan Barber, an apprentice jockey who was pushed off his mount by jockey Corey Nakatani at the finish line of a race at Del Mar on Aug. 3, has filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages for alleged assault, battery and emotional distress. The complaint was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Barber alleges that Nakatani galloped alongside him and shoved him off his mount after their horses crossed the finish line. Barber claims he missed weeks of riding as a result of the incident.

Ryan Barber, an apprentice jockey who was pushed off his mount by jockey Corey Nakatani at the finish line of a race at Del Mar on Aug. 3, has filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages for alleged assault, battery and emotional distress. The complaint was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Barber alleges that Nakatani galloped alongside him and shoved him off his mount after their horses crossed the finish line. Barber claims he missed weeks of riding as a result of the incident.

After a two-hour hearing Monday, Del Mar stewards Ingrid Fermin, David Samuel and George Slender said they will rule Wednesday on the incident involving jockeys Ryan Barber and Corey Nakatani after Sunday's seventh race. Apparently angry after being shut off by Barber while trying to rally along the inside with Boldly Ruhl, Nakatani came up alongside Barber and pushed the apprentice off his mount, Policy Maker, while galloping out past the wire.

After a two-hour hearing Monday, Del Mar stewards Ingrid Fermin, David Samuel and George Slender said they will rule Wednesday on the incident involving jockeys Ryan Barber and Corey Nakatani after Sunday's seventh race. Apparently angry after being shut off by Barber while trying to rally along the inside with Boldly Ruhl, Nakatani came up alongside Barber and pushed the apprentice off his mount, Policy Maker, while galloping out past the wire.

Jockey David Flores suffered a chipped disk in his back and separated a shoulder in a spill during Friday's fifth race here. Flores, 29, was listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit of Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. His agent, Jim Pegram, confirmed his injuries. "He's stable," said Pegram, who speculated Flores could be sidelined from six to eight weeks.

Jockey Corey Nakatani's attorney, Donald Calabria, said his client would seek a court stay pending an appeal of a 30-day suspension that was issued Thursday by the three Santa Anita stewards. Nakatani was disciplined after the stewards ruled that he was responsible for an incident in Saturday's sixth race in which his mount bumped another horse, who stumbled and unseated his rider, Javier Santiago. Santiago was not injured. Nakatani's suspension is scheduled to begin Thursday.

Jockey Corey Nakatani, who pushed another rider off his horse after a race Sunday, was suspended for the rest of the Del Mar meet by state stewards Wednesday. The three Del Mar stewards conducted a two-hour hearing earlier in the week into the incident. Altercations between jockeys after a race frequently result in small fines. This suspension, the equivalent of 26 racing days, will start Monday.

The outcome of Sunday's $300,000 Eddie Read Handicap was a welcome surprise for trainer Bobby Frankel. In the midst of what he called "his worst year in 25 years," Frankel--who became a member of racing's Hall of Fame in 1995--saw 23-1 shot Expelled lead every step of the way and win the Grade I Eddie Read by a length over El Angelo and five others.

Neither the Pacific Classic's reputation for chewing up favorites nor the resolve of his stablemate could stop Gentlemen at Del Mar Saturday. Gentlemen, a 5-year-old Argentine-bred, might not have been at the top of his game, but still he mopped up, winning by 2 3/4 lengths over Siphon and putting one more $1-million souvenir in trainer Richard Mandella's trophy case.

With a small army, trainer Bill Mott has done some early damage in his invasion of this track. From his New York base, Mott sent six horses west with assistant Simon Bray, all owned by Allen Paulson, who lives in nearby Rancho Santa Fe. So far, two of the five that have run have won, another (Clure) should have and only one has finished off the board. The sixth, Dowty, is expected to start in the Escondido Handicap on Friday. More importantly, both victories have come in stakes.

Three weeks from today, Fantastic Fellow will have a chance to do something no 3-year-old has done here since 1974. With a victory in the Del Mar Derby on Sept. 1, Fantastic Fellow would match the accomplishment of Lightning Mandate, who made a three-race sweep of the Oceanside Stakes, La Jolla Handicap and Derby 23 years ago. Back then, the Oceanside and La Jolla were run on the main track.

Making his first stakes appearance since finishing second to Grand Slam in the Champagne last Oct. 18, Lil's Lad established himself as the favorite for next month's Florida Derby with a victory in the $200,000 Fountain Of Youth Stakes Saturday at Gulfstream Park.