Desormeaux fined for failed Breathalyzer test

DEL MAR, Calif.- Kent Desormeaux, the leading rider at Del Mar, was fined $1,000 by track stewards on Sunday for failing a Breathalyzer test at Santa Anita on June 26 that led to him being removed from his mounts that day.

In a two-paragraph decision, stewards Scott Chaney, Luis Jauregui, and Kim Sawyer fined Desormeaux and stated that he must be evaluated by the Winners’ Foundation and following its recommendations, and must submit to a Breathalyzer test submitted by the California Horse Racing Board each racing day through Nov. 3.

The Winner’s Foundation counsels people in Southern California with dependency issues.

Desormeaux was booked to ride two horses on June 26 but was removed from his mounts after failing the Breathalyzer test. The incident was the subject of a racing board investigation that led to Sunday’s ruling.

Desormeaux resumed riding at Santa Anita the next day.

A member of racing’s Hall of Fame, Desormeaux, 44, has had alcohol-related troubled in the past. He failed a Breathalyzer test at Woodbine in 2010, and again at Belmont Park in May 2012. As a result of the failed test at Belmont Park, Desormeaux was taken off Tiger Walk for the Preakness Stakes run the following day.

Desormeaux, who has won 13 riding titles at Southern California tracks, rode on the East Coast in recent years. He returned to riding in Southern California earlier this year and is having a successful summer. Through Saturday, he led all riders at the Del Mar meeting with 12 wins.