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DRF Laurel Park not accepting entries from Jorge Navarro
By Jim Dunleavy, Laurel , 2017-09-13 , Race 1 - DRF Live Posted : 12 mins ago

Trainer Jorge Navarro was going to enter several horses in the Grade 3, $250,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash on Saturday at Laurel Park but did not after Maryland Jockey Club officials decided he would not be allowed to race at the track.

Navarro and owner Randal Gindi were fined $5,000 by the Monmouth Park board of stewards on Sunday, closing day of the meet, for "conduct detrimental to racing." The fines are the maximum the stewards can levy. The stewards have referred the matter to the New Jersey Racing Commission recommending that Gindi's fine be increased to $20,000 and Navarro's to $10,000.

Navarro and Gindi were filmed on a cell phone by an unidentified person seated at a bar in the Monmouth Park clubhouse Aug. 4, gloating inappropriately after watching Navarro's brother, Marcial, win a race at Gulfstream Park.

Gindi said in the video, "The Juice Man, that's the juice," and Navarro said, "That's the way we do it." Gindi bragged of lining his pockets with winnings from bookies.

Navarro said he and Gindi were strictly getting even with the person who filmed the video.

"My owner had a previous altercation with the person who filmed the video," Navarro said. "We were just getting back at the guy. Of course I regret what I said. That is not Navarro. But I'm tired of people calling me things. What I said, "Is that a Navarro? Is that a Navarro? Is that a Navarro at 2-1?," people say that to me all the time, right in front of my kids."

Georgeanne Hale, the director of racing at Laurel, confirmed that Navarro's entries would not have been accepted Wednesday.

After being made aware of the situation, Navarro said, "Why should I enter."

Laurel was making its best effort to attract enough entries to hold the De Francis Dash, which had a short field even with Navarro's prospective entrants, El Deal and Chublicious.

Laurel is the second track in two days to bar Navarro. On Tuesday, Indiana Grand stewards told Navarro he would be denied an Indiana racing license if he applied for one, forcing the scratch of Duchess of Duke from Wednesday's $100,000 Merrillville Stakes.

"I'm going through a rough time, but it is what it is," Navarro said.

He holds a valid Maryland racing license and is not suspended. His entries for Saturday were going to be denied by Laurel management, not the stewards or the racing commission.

Navarro has won five straight Monmouth Park training titles and broke his own record for wins at the meet this year. Navarro has 754 career victories from 2,722 starts, and a 27 percent win rate.

Track officials could not immediately be reached for comment.