Indiana Stewards Release Findings of Investigation

The stewards at Indiana Grand Racecourse have determined that the incidents in race eight at the Shelbyville, IN oval Oct. 14 that resulted in the death of apprentice jockey Juan Saez and the euthanization of two horses were not the result of negligence or improper implementation of track protocol. After reviewing the race video and interviewing approximately 25 people, the stewards noted that when Montezuma Express clipped heels and tossed Saez to the track, it triggered a chain reaction resulting in another horse–Masaru–falling and throwing his rider Ricardo Santana, Jr. A second incident involving Platitude later in the turn was unrelated to Montezuma Express’ accident. The stewards also noted that the window of time a jockey has to react when traveling 35-40 mph is extremely small and that no riders were at fault. The stewards reported that personnel at Indiana Grand responded well to the emergencies that occurred almost simultaneously and that proper protocols, policies and procedures were in place and correctly implemented. However, upon further consultation with the riders, a blind spot was discovered for jockeys when racing directly into the sun on the final turn in races scheduled between 5:15 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. in early October. A stewards’ recommendation for races to be scheduled around that time frame in the future will go into effect next week.