Jockey Mychel J. Sanchez was removed from his mounts at Laurel Park in Maryland on Friday after officials there learned the former leading rider at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa., has been suspended by the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission.
J. Michael Hopkins, executive director of the Maryland Racing Commission said he was notified that Sanchez has been suspended 60 days by Pennsylvania stewards on Thursday, Jan. 20, for wagering on horse races.
Pressed for specifics, Hopkins said, “You can’t bet against yourself.”
The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission has yet to confirm the suspension and no recent rulings against Sanchez are posted on the commission’s website.
Hopkins said the Maryland Racing Commission has already begun its own investigation of Sanchez, who has been riding at Parx, Laurel Park, Aqueduct and Gulfstream Park in recent months. His biggest win came at Aqueduct aboard Hopeful Treasure in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap on Nov. 28.
Hopkins said Maryland could issue its own suspension of the jockey when the investigation is concluded.
A native of Venezuela where his father, brother and an uncle were jockeys, Sanchez began riding in the U.S. in 2013. He tied for leading jockey at Parx in 2019 and led the standings there in 2020. In 2021 he branched out to ride at Monmouth and elsewhere in the northeast and was a top 10 rider at Monmouth, Laurel Park and Parx Racing meets. Since 2013 he’s won 940 races from 6,097 mounts for total earnings of $30.4 million.
Sanchez was named on three mounts Friday at Laurel. Two were scratched and he was removed from the third mount by stewards. He was named on one horse Saturday at Laurel and on multiple mounts Jan. 24-25-26 at Parx.
He last rode at Parx Racing on Jan. 19, winning with three of his six mounts.
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