Trainer James Chapman was arrested in New York and charged with stalking.
Chapman told Daily Racing Form that he pleaded not guilty to the charge in Nassau County district court and that it is related to an ongoing dispute he has had with trainer Amira Chichakly at Belmont Park, where they had been stabled in barns next to each other until recently.
Police escorted Chapman from Belmont Park on Wednesday and took him to a local precinct, where he was arrested, according to the DRF report.
A New York Racing Association spokesman told DRF that the organization was aware of the matter “and will determine appropriate next steps after it is adjudicated by the Nassau County district attorney’s office.”
Chapman said he bought two round pens, which were between his barn and Chichakly’s. He wanted them dug up, according to the DRF report, and got into an argument about them.
Chichakly said she filed a complaint against Chapman last Friday with the Nassau County Police Department, saying he sent her texts including one that read, “protect you(r) child.”
Chichakly told DRF that she asked Chapman to leave her alone, “and he kept going.”
The charge against Chapman is a Class B misdemeanor, with penalties that include up to 90 days in jail, fines, probation, community service and a protection order.
During the argument about the pens, Chapman said, he took videos of Anthony Stabile, a stable manager and NYRA television analyst, making threatening comments toward him.
Stabile was not on NYRA’s telecasts last week, DRF reported, and it is not clear whether he continues to work for the company. Stabile declined comment on his job status when reached by DRF on Thursday morning.
