Carmouche is fined, suspended for crop violation in Manhattan

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche has been fined $5,500 and suspended one day for a crop violation after stewards determined he used the riding crop seven times while riding Deterministic to victory in the Grade 1 Manhattan at Saratoga on Sunday.

The fine and suspension were published in a HISA ruling issued Thursday. According to that document he will serve his suspension June 19. The suspension was previously reported by David Grening of Daily Racing Form, who also reported that Carmouche will not appeal the ruling.

Under HISA rules, a jockey may use the crop up to six times, not counting strikes that are determined to be for the safety of the horse or rider. Use of the crop seven through nine times in a race constitutes a class 3 violation, the lowest level of violation. In a race with a purse over $5,000, the base sanction is a fine of 10% of the jockey's portion of the purse and a one-day suspension.

If a jockey has more than one crop violation in the last 180 days, those fines and suspension days multiply. However, even though this is Carmouche's sixth instance of going over the crop limit since HISA took effect, he had not had such a violation since March 2024. Thus, the base sanction holds.