Photo:

Gonzalo Anteliz Jr. / Eclipse Sportswire

Saturday’s first race at Gulfstream has been declared a no-contest after the emergency alarm went off in the middle of the race. As a result, Gulfstream Park refunded all wagers on the race, including multi-race wagers that began in the opener.

Down the stretch for the first time in the one-mile turf race, Roscoe Village was in tight. She stumbled, fell and unseated rider Jorge Ruiz. Roscoe Village chased the field riderless, while announcer Pete Aiello announced that Ruiz was down on the course after the fall. While the field was running down the back stretch, Aiello announced that Ruiz was being helped off the course and the race would continue.

Gulfstream stewards posted an inquiry shortly after the finish. Upon review, stewards declared the race a no-contest. In the explanation on the track feed Aiello said, “The emergency siren went off during the middle of the race. As is the safety custom here, because of that, jockeys heard that siren and did not persevere with some of their mounts. So, in the interest of fairness, the first race has been declared a no-contest.”

After the fall, Aiello announced on the Gulfstream track feed that he would be off his mounts for the rest of the day. In a segment before the second race track analyst Brian Nadeau reported that Ruiz did have feelings in his extremities but had “a little soreness in his neck” and that Roscoe Village was “okay as well” after running riderless around the track.

The race was an allowance-optional
claiming race for fillies and mares in which all the runners were in
under the first-level condition. Second betting choice Steel Lute,
trained by Chad Brown, made the lead in the final furlong and held off late runs from
favored Tutta La Vita as well as Lady Cha Cha. Tutta La Vita, now trained by Ignacio Correas IV, was racing for the first time in the United States but was multiple Group 1-placed in Australia.