Monmouth Park bans Horologist owner for entering winner's circle

One of the owners of Horologist said in a Facebook post Friday night he has been suspended from Monmouth Park for the rest of the track's 2020 meet.

He said track officials implemented the ban after he led the horse into the winner’s circle after the Jersey-bred 4-year old filly won the Grade III $250,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes at the track on July 18.

“(Friday), I got a call from the track administration stating that I’ve been suspended for the year and am not permitted to step foot on the premises at any time,’’ Cameron Beatty, the owner, said in his post. “I was taken aback when he told me this.’’

Beatty said Saturday morning in a Facebook message that Monmouth's racing secretary John Heims was the one who called and told him about the ban. 

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Monmouth’s COVID-19 Raceday Protocols say, “no owners are permitted in the winner’s circle’’. Owners are also not permitted in the paddock.

"Our COVID-19 rules are very, very clear,'' Monmouth Park CEO Dennis Drazin said Saturday morning. "Our owners and trainers are aware of the rules. We're only permitted to race because we developed protocols, which the state and the governor expect us to enforce. 

"The guy (Beatty) knew it. The owner of the Haskell winner (the $1 million Grade I Haskell Stakes, which Authentic won by a nose), respected our rules. Every other owner has respected our rules during the meet. 

"One of the owners of Horologist (Horologist has four owners, including Beatty) decided he was going to violate the rules blatantly. The pictures the next day of him leading the horse into the winner's circle, which every other other owner knows is not permitted, and we start getting all the calls about, 'Are we going to enforce the rules or not? 

"We have an obligation to the governor and to the racing commission to enforce rules that are supposed to be in place to protect lives.'' 

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Many of the comments on Beatty's facebook post support him and thought the punishment was harsh. 

Beatty, who lives in Brick and went to Freehold Township High School, said someone from the track told him after the horse won the race to escort his horse into the winner’s circle.

He said he bred Horologist and sold 75 percent interest in the horse, the daughter of Gemologist, to three partners last September. He said he still owns 25 percent of the horse. 

The win was an emotional one for the 28-year-old Beatty because he bred the horse and because the horse's trainer through her first 11 races was one of Monmouth Park's  all-time beloved personalities - the late John Mazza. Horologist is one of six horses Beatty has, and obviously the most accomplished. 

"You can let a jockey come from another state and ride, but you suspend an owner for an entire year for being the only person in the winner’s circle with his horse after the biggest win of her career, not to mention the only person who had any connection with her at the track that day,'' Beatty said. 

Neither Horologist's current trainer Bill Mott, who was at Saratoga, where his 3-year-old filly Paris Lights’ won the Grade I Coaching Club American Oaks that same day, or any assistant trainers from Mott’s barn were at Monmouth, Beatty said. The Molly Pitcher was Horologist's first race for Mott, a Hall of Fame trainer. She earned a career-high 101 Beyer Speed figure for her performance. 

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“My trainer and assistant trainer could not make the trip from Saratoga due to COVID-19 protocols,’’ Beatty said. “The only person to travel with the horse was the van driver. We had a Monmouth Park trainer saddle her for the race, and after she won, I ran toward the winner’s circle and was told to grab my horse and take her into the winner’s circle.

“So, it was me, Horologist and my jockey (Joe Bravo) for the photo (in the winner's circle).''

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Monmouth’s protocols say those who have horses who are going to run in stakes races and can not make arrangements with a trainer on the grounds can stable their horses in the receiving barn with no more than one stable employee. No outside personnel are permitted into the barn area.

"He (Beatty) jeopardizes the jockeys that he surrounds,'' Drazin said. "He jeopardizes other people by coming into the winner's circle. He sends a message to other owners that he can get away with it. It just isn't right.''

Beatty said Saturday morning an assistant to trainer Jonathan Thomas saddled Horologist. 

The filly was sent to Southern California-based trainer Richard Baltas last fall. Baltas trained the horse for her next five races, which were at Keeneland, Santa Anita, Laurel and Oaklawn Park before she was transferred to Mott’s barn.

Beatty said he was told by Heims he would not win an appeal even though he was told that option was available to him.

“I was in even more shock when he told me I am entitled to a hearing, however, I shouldn’t waste my time or their time asking for a hearing because I would get the same results,’’ Beatty said.

“I try to follow all of the rules, and I am extremely sorry for breaking them. I am also a believer that the punishment should match the crime. In no way, shape or form did I risk anyone’s life, and I sure as heck didn’t give a horse a performance enhancing drug to deserve a suspension for that long.’’

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Drazin did not agree with Beatty's account about a hearing being a waste of time.  

"The first thing we did is we wrote him a letter asking him if he wanted to have a discussion about it,'' Drazin said. "He acknowledged that he violated our rules that he didn't want to have a discussion, and said, 'No. Do what you have to do'.  

"Then, we notified him that we were going to suspend him for the balance of this meet, and did he want to have a hearing about it? He declined to have a hearing. He waived his hearing. ''

The Molly Pitcher was the second graded stakes win of Horologist’s of career. She won the Grade III Monmouth Oaks last Aug. 17, when she was still trained by Mazza.

The Monmouth Oaks was also her last win before the Molly Pitcher. She is 5-for-5 for her career at Monmouth with three stakes wins and 6-for-17 overall.  She has earned close to $550,000. 

“I put tens of thousands of dollars per month in my horses and spend thousands of hours per year with horses that keep Monmouth Park in business,'' Beatty said. "Something is wrong with the system.’’

"We had a number of options that we could have done, and this was the action we felt was appropriate,'' Drazin said. "I want to be clear about this. We did not punish the other owners of the horse. We didn't feel it was fair to punish everybody else for his actions even though he jeopardized all of them.'' 

Beatty said Horologist will likely run next in a stakes race at either Saratoga or in Kentucky. 

"We were thinking about running her in New Jersey against the boys in the Jersey-Bred stake (The $100,000 Charles Hesse II Stakes on Aug. 30 at Monmouth), but that's definitely not happening anymore,'' Beatty said. 

Steven Falk covers scholastic football, wrestling and baseball for app.com and is a life-long resident of the Shore area who loves the rich history of sports in the Shore area. 732-643-4267; sfalk@gannettnj.com.