Judge Clears Derby Path for Valhol

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —  A circuit court judge ruled in Little Rock, Ark., Tuesday that Oaklawn Park must pay the owner of Valhol the $300,000 first-place prize in the Arkansas Derby, clearing the way for Jim Jackson’s upstart gelding to run Saturday in the Kentucky Derby.

“[The defendant] has no evidence that the owner did anything wrong,” Judge John Plegge said at a hearing called after Jackson sued the Arkansas Racing Commission. Valhol, a maiden, won the Arkansas Derby on April 10, but Oaklawn had withheld the purse after allegations that Billy Patin, Valhol’s jockey, carried an illegal electrical device in the race.

Without the $300,000 purse, Valhol may not have qualified for the Derby at Churchill Downs, which invokes a graded-stakes money rule when paring an overflow Derby field down to the maximum of 20 horses.

“If you put this horse in the Derby, that horse is tainted,” said Byron Freeland, who argued the case in court for the racing commission.

A hearing into the allegations against Patin is scheduled a week from today. At Churchill Downs on Tuesday, Valhol worked five furlongs on a sloppy track in 59 4/5 seconds. Trainer Dallas Keen said Patin will not ride Valhol in the Derby but won’t name a rider until entries are drawn today. Willie Martinez rode Valhol in the workout.