P.Vals back
 

Read this morning about Patrick Valenzuela riding races again. This time at Zia Park in New Mexico. Will be interesting to see if Hollywood allows him once again.. to start riding there. Will also be interesting as well to see if he can stay clean for any length of time this time as well. Such a shame to see all the time this really talented jockey has wasted with abusing drugs. I remember when he was "hot" and was leading jockey and then would just dissappear. Heres the link to ESPN's Article.http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/hor...ory?id=3097179

i seriously rooted for the guy when he came back and he and julie krone both had that amazing summer but i can't support him anymore nor do i support him even being issued a license in any state in the country! if this was any regular non high profile rider they woulda most likely been banned for life long ago. i think part of the reason pval continued to fuc up was cuz he knew racing would always eventually welcome him back with open arms. maybe kris turner will give him a mount down there LOLOLOLOLOL HAHAHAHAHAHA wonder if shes even still in business(long story)

He had a gel put in a knee joint? Wonder how long before that puppy acts up again.

Don't worry, he'll be way too hopped up to feel it.

You'd be surprised how well patients say the artificial cartllage (knee jel) works out. I watched P Val last week at Zia and he had 3 wins the first week
on mostly chalk riding for Henry Dominquez.

I could have sworn I read somewhere that his agent had targeted November 14th as a potential return to Hollywood while he battles the stews on the details of the preliminary license.

PVal is a very talented rider with a long history of relapses but somehow he gets more than his share of grief and speculation even when he has passed
screens for years. It's kinda interesting how some jocks who have fallen are given far more the benefit of the doubt with less time in sobriety.

That must have been why he shaved every hair off his body when he knew he was subjected to hair follicle tests. It must have been because he was completely sober.

I don't get it. He has a license, he gets hurt, then all the sudden he can't get a license again? Just let the guy work. He obviously has his demons, but the man has talent that most other jocks could only dream of having. As long as he keeps clean - so far as I know, there's been no allegations otherwise in the 11 months he was off - let him do his job.

The best to ever be legged up

Well,I am more worried about the knee than the more popular(to talk about)drug issue.I've watched him ride for over 25 years,and 98% of the time,I thought his rides were totally top rate.The other 2 % were rides during his first couple days back from a layoff(that is not when to play him,) and when he tried to come back from(fighting the pain from) an injury(foot maybe.)If he acted like a drug addict (at the track,) I'd be the 1st to say he shouldn't be out there.People on drugs (at work) aren't productive,or are too inconsistent(or careless.) They don't produce.This has not been the way he acts at work.If he was as careless or inconsistent as somebody like Arroyo has sometimes been,then I could see the interest in banning him.To be honest,this guy is only useful(to society) when he is riding.I'm much more interested in whether he is gunna be riding with a body that will allow him to give everybody involved a good fair ride.People should be worried about whether he is totally healthy,because I have seen him ride while suffering with an injury.It does affect his performance(I don't think drugs do.)We can test him for drugs.We can't test him to make sure his body is good enough to hold up.I think if Solis is allowed to be out there riding(like a scared woman,) then it's pretty hard to say somebody else shouldn't be out there.

Looks like he may be riding at Hollywood by this Friday.

Quoted from DRF.
"Valenzuela may ride here Friday

Jockey Patrick Valenzuela, who has not ridden in California since Thanksgiving weekend of 2006, may ride at Hollywood Park this weekend, according to his attorney, Neil Papiano, and agent, Tom Knust.

Valenzuela is currently riding at Zia Park in New Mexico and is seeking a conditional license from the California Horse Racing Board that will allow him to ride in this state. Papiano said Sunday that he intended to review the terms of the license over the weekend and thought an agreement could be reached in time for Valenzuela to be named on horses for Friday evening's program. Entries for Friday were expected to be drawn on Tuesday.

Papiano met briefly with Hollywood Park stewards on Sunday to discuss Valenzuela's situation.

Valenzuela, 45, has ridden under a conditional license in California in recent years that has allowed the racing board to conduct random drug testing.

Knust had hoped that Valenzuela could be back at Hollywood Park on Wednesday after missing the first week of the meeting.

Valenzuela was sidelined last November after suffering a rib injury. He subsequently underwent knee surgery, which has kept him sidelined until he returned to riding at Zia Park on Nov. 3.

"He wants to ride here in California," Knust said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to be named on Friday or Saturday and Sunday."

Through Sunday, Valenzuela had ridden 3 winners from 19 mounts at Zia Park."


Does'nt look like he's doing so well at Zia Park :cool:

p val-poster child for the endless second chances for doping, be it jock or trainer.

Gomez, Leparoux, Bejarano, PVal, T. Baze, Talamo, Mike Smith..

A solid colony.

:confused: :confused:

Wonder how long it will take Cory Nakatani to pick a fight with P Val after he comes back and you all know he's coming back.

Originally Posted by Pillow Pants
Gomez, Leparoux, Bejarano, PVal, T. Baze, Talamo, Mike Smith..

A solid colony.

Somebody does this every time the guys name comes up leaving me feeling like I missed the gaping holes in Mike Smith's career.

Hall of fame rider with over 4000 wins, has won a Derby, Preakness, about 10 Breeders Cup races and another 50 G1 stakes over 25 years.

A couple of eclipse awards, riding titles at all 3 NY meets seversl times.

I don't get it....did this guy have a Bill Buckner moment that I was sleeping for, Did he vote for McGovern?, give millions to Save OJ? or get caught throwing races.

It's kind of like an inside joke....this time it's Kev a couple of months ago Bogey had a "Are you Kidding me" comment when someone defended Smith.

Don't get me wrong I am not being critical of any who have posted a critical sentence about Smith I just don't get what the guy has done to be the Jeff George of jockey's!!!

Lose on some win tickets and fail to be predictable on when his mount will win. It's Alex Solis for me.

Mike Smith wont go inside anymore

He let his liscense expire , that is why he has to re-apply . By letting his liscense expire he no longer was subjected to drug tests at all , he didnt have to report to anyone, now as I see it , if a person was truly sincere in saying that they are clean and all they want to do is ride then why would they not re-apply for their liscense when it expired . Oh maybe it would be because while their ribs were healing up they could do whatever they wanted and well hell as long as the knee hurt I might as well not re- apply because then I would have to go test and not that im doing a ny drugs that I dont want to go test its because my knee is sore and I cant ride . LOSER:rolleyes:

That wasnt meant as a slam towards Mike Smith as more question Pillow listing him on there...as I believe it was Pillow that had Mike's face as his avatar for a while and wouldnt take it down until he won a certain amount of races.

I could be wrong...could have been someone other than Pillow.

It was Pillow and it was the start of the Pillow Era

:D

Maybe two days? Three?

It's going to get tuff to get alot of good mounts with the new addition to the jockeys room.

Please let him ride, otherwise ESPN may hire him to work with Jerry Bailey.

Mike is a shadow of his former self but the guy brought home a 2k pick 4 for me at Toga in '06. The will pay on his horse was at least double of the other 3 horses I had on my $54 ticket.

I'll always have love for him.

P. Val is named on Hollywood Park mounts this weekend. I will give him alittle time to adjust to the cushion track and then things will be getting ugly if he starts winning again.

Who will be the first front line jock to leave?

I think its such crap that trainers will just dismiss the guys who have been here , working hard and putting the time in to make a change and put Pat on .
Dont give me the crap "oh they gotta do for their owners " its such bs ..... trainers use that excuse to ride him and it is crap , if the freakin guy was so sincere about all his stuff he wouldnt let his liscense expire , I mean truly if riding horses was the most important thing to him then why wouldnt he try and do everything in his power to prove it , nope he just proved he is the same loser he always has been and believe me if he didnt need the money he wouldnt be riding , he would just be sitting in his closet hitting the pipe going shhhh shhhh , did you hear that ? :rolleyes:

The mounts go to him like bees to honey every time he comes back. I could take his book and we would be in the top 10.

One day the majic will be gone and dirt racing no longer in California he may not find it as easy this time.

Two things.
1. You make me laugh so freakin hard
2. It is great to see this perspective rather then just the Fan who might not realize (or appreciate) the effort the guys (and gal) who have been busting their butt while he was on his trippi vacaction. As a fan, it is easy to get caught up in the "cheer for the loose cannon" mentality. When you personalize it, you realize just how wrong it is. In the end, just like everything else....it will be the results that matter. Does he still have the talent and the effort to dominate...that will be the deciding factors, not what is "fair".