Mena misses big win

[Ronnie]

Mena misses big win : Jockey Miguel Mena missed a flight to Mountaineer Race Track, which cost him the biggest win of his career when 23-1 shot Soul Warrior triumphed in the $750,000 West Virginia Derby on Saturday. Substitute rider Dale Beckner got the mount instead.

Steve Elzey, Mena’s agent, suggested Sunday that a drinking problem caused the jockey to miss the race. Elzey said Mena will attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and will pay his agent the amount of money – approximately $20,000 - the agent would have made had the rider fulfilled his commitments.

“I told every trainer here this week, he has a little issue. If he has one drink, he gets stupid,” Elzey said. “But ability-wise, there’s nobody better. And when he keeps his act together, all the trainers want to use him. If he quit doing what he does today, he could be leading rider at any of these top tracks in the next 12 months.’’

Mena, 22, is riding in his first Spa meet and won the Grade II Sanford with Backtalk on Thursday.

Elzey will continue to manage Mena’s book and the rider will remain at Saratoga, but the agent said his jockey is treading on thin ice in his first full summer at the Spa.

Mena also recently failed to fulfill his commitments on six mounts at Churchill Downs, when he missed his flight back to Kentucky on June 7, the day after the Belmont Stakes.

http://blog.timesunion.com/horseraci...notebook/2193/

[the_fat_man]

This is ALMOST as bad as making Cowtown Cat your Derby horse.



oh ****.

[Ronnie]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

This is ALMOST as bad as making Cowtown Cat your Derby horse.



oh ****.

Ha ha, I guess I'm never going to live that down.

[Ronnie]

I thought the story was interesting - I didn't write it.

[Gander]

Originally Posted by Ronnie

I thought the story was interesting - I didn't write it.

Its very interesting. I wonder if Mena is giving his agent 20K because he feels bad or if the agent has a legal right to that money? It seems very hard to prove that had Mena ridden that horse the results would have been the same. What if Beckner riding, moved that horse up? Its not like this horse was Rachael Alexandra and she was supposed to win and anyone could have ridden her. I wonder if there is a clause in Mena's contract that says if he misses a mount because of drinking, he pays him the commission on how the horse finishes.

Flip side- what if Beckner gave the horse a horrible ride and finsihed 4th? Could the agent still go after the first place prize saying that if Mena ridden him, he would have won?

Mena ought to learn to drink immediately after the races and do the Happy Hour thing. Be home and passed out by 10pm instead of 4am.

[Ronnie]

Sounds like Mena's agent isn't doing him any favors.