re: 2015 Preakness Stakes

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Victor Espinoza gets results. How he gets those results, however, have the jockey under fire.

Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah was examined by 12 state-approved veterinarians after concerns were raised over the frequency with which Espinoza whipped the horse down the stretch at Churchill Downs. Although no marks were found, the whipping bordered close enough on abuse to warrant an inquiry.

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“From a tactical standpoint, Espinoza did what he thought necessary to get American Pharoah home and that is his job,” wrote Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer. But “it looks bad when a rider keeps after a horse,” Darrell Haire, regional director of the Jockey’s Guild, told reporters.

“It might not be all that good for the horse, either,” Ford notes.

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