Jockey Patrick Valenzuela, who did not ride his assigned mounts at
Hollywood Park on Thursday after failing to contact racing officials or
his agent, will not resume riding until Nov. 26 at the earliest to deal
with personal matters related to his fiancée, his agent, Tom Knust, said
on Friday.
Valenzuela was scheduled to travel Friday to Kansas City, where his
fiancée’s family lives, Knust said. He did not specify why the
49-year-old jockey was making the trip. Knust said that Valenzuela had
originally intended to fly to Kansas City after the Hollywood Park races
on Sunday night and stay there until Friday, Nov. 25, returning to
Hollywood Park on Nov. 26. Knust said that recent events led Valenzuela
and his fiancée to push forward their departure.
“He said it’s a personal thing,” Knust said. “He said he knows he
should have called the stewards. He said this took precedence. They left
early.”
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