Gomez Meets With Del Mar Stewards

Jockey Garrett Gomez met with Del Mar stewards Sunday morning to discuss the circumstances which prompted his absence from racing since the July 17 start of the meeting. Gomez took off his mounts on opening day and was replaced on scheduled mounts the next three days pending a meeting with the stewards.

On Saturday evening, Gomez told the Daily Racing Form’s Steve Andersen that his absence was due to a “slip,” or relapse into alcohol problems which had troubled him earlier in his career. Gomez said he had dealt with the problem through treatment at a facility in Cerritos.

Steward Kim Sawyer said that Sunday’s was an “informal” meeting and a formal one would be held on Wednesday pertaining to his missing mounts. Gomez, who indicated he hoped to return to riding Wednesday, will not be able to take any calls, Sawyer said, until after the upcoming meeting.