Stewart Elliott, who rode Smarty Jones to victory in the Kentucky Derby Saturday, filled out a prerace application incorrectly, but it will not impact the outcome of the race.
"This is an administrative matter that we're looking into," said Mike York, spokesman for the Kentucky Racing Association. "The penalties could be up to a $5,000 fine or we could suspend his license for further review. The outcome of the race is not impacted."
Elliott pleaded guilty to assault three years ago, but did not disclose the information when applying for a license to ride in the Derby. Ray Lopez, the agent for the 39-year-old Elliott, said Elliott made a mistake filling out the form, which included eight questions, one of which asks if the applicant has been arrested, indicted or convicted or has pleaded guilty to any criminal offense within the past 10 years.
Elliott checked "no" because, Lopez said, he did not realize the time frame was 10 years.
"He made a mistake," Lopez told the Associated Press. "We've talked to stewards in Kentucky and Maryland, and everything is cleared up. It won't affect the Derby, and it's not going to affect the (May15) Preakness."
Elliott pleaded guilty in June 2001 to aggravated assault stemming from a fight with a friend inside the man's Burlington County, N.J., home in 2000. Elliott was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay $13,900 to cover the victim's medical bills, according to court records.
Disclosure of a criminal record does not automatically disqualify a jockey from obtaining a license in Kentucky. Michael Hopkins, executive director of the Maryland Racing Commission, said Elliott has been granted a license, but would not reveal if he disclosed his criminal record on the form.
Elliott is licensed in New York through March 1, 2005, the state Racing and Wagering Board said. The Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown, is June 5.
SMARTY WORKOUT: Smarty Jones strolled for a quarter-mile, stopped for a brief rest and raised his head as if posing for fans. Then he took off for his hardest gallop since winning the Derby. The gallop was without trainer John Servis and his pony, and left no doubt about the condition of the undefeated colt for the Preakness. "He looked great, super actually," Servis said. Smarty Jones will remain at Philadelphia Park until Wednesday, then will be shipped to Pimlico for the Preakness, Servis said.
CYCLING: Top rider sought in doping
An international arrest warrant was issued for the third-place finisher in the 2002 Tour de France on suspicion he imported banned substances. The warrant for Lithuanian rider Raimondas Rumsas was issued by Franck Guesdon, an investigating judge. There was a similar warrant for Krysztof Fisek, a doctor suspected of providing Rumsas with the substances. Guesdon also investigated Rumsas' wife, Edita, in 2002 when she was stopped by French customs agents near Bonneville after her husband finished third in the Tour. Rumsas was banned from competing for a year last year after a positive drug test during the Giro d'Italia.
OLYMPICS: Greeks: Security is ready
Greek and U.S. officials have no intelligence information to indicate international terror cells are operating in Greece and no evidence of plots aimed at the Summer Olympics, Greece's top law official said. Greek Minister of Public Order George Voulgarakis met with top U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials in Washington and delivered new assurances that security measures will be ready to protect the Games.
Voulgarakis said he was given no evidence in meetings with CIA director George Tenet, FBI director Robert Mueller or national security adviser Condoleezza Rice that al-Qaida or any other terror group has an active presence in Greece. Yet there are global jitters about the safety of the Aug.13-29 Games. Three bombings in suburban Athens drew worldwide attention Wednesday though they did minimal damage and caused no deaths. An IOC team headed by Denis Oswald, the chief IOC overseer for the Games, plans to arrive Monday for the last major inspection. The unfinished stadium roof is high on the list of worries.
FIGURE SKATING: French official resigns
Didier Gailhaguet, head of France's skating federation embroiled in a judging scandal in the 2002 Winter Olympics, resigned. At the Salt Lake City Games, Gailhaguet was accused by French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne of pressuring her to favor a Russian pair, which deprived a Canadian pair of gold. She later retracted the accusation. The French skating federation, in a statement on its Web site, said Gailhaguet resigned as president at a meeting Wednesday, but did not elaborate. Marc Faujanet, who heads the body's federal council, took over as interim chief. Gailhaguet and Le Gougne were given three-year bans by the International Skating Union after a hearing in April 2002. They also are banned from the 2006 Olympics.
TENNIS: Capriati, Venus in semis
Saddlebrook's Jennifer Capriati beat a top-10 player for the first time this year to reach the German Open semifinals in Berlin, and Venus Williams won her 14th straight match - her longest win streak since 2001. Capriati, who has fought back injuries all year, rolled past No.5 Anastasia Myskina 6-3, 6-2 and meets Amelie Mauresmo. Williams defeated Paola Suarez 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 6-2 and faces Karolina Sprem.
ITALIAN OPEN: Spain's Albert Costa and Carlos Moya, and Argentina's David Nalbandian and Mariano Zabaleta reached the semifinals in Rome. Moya, the 1998 French Open champion, eliminated Andrei Pavel 6-1, 6-2 in 47 minutes. Costa, the 2002 winner at Roland Garros, defeated 12th-seeded Jiri Novak 6-4, 6-2, Nalbandian won six straight games after falling behind 3-0 in the second set, defeating Vincent Spadea 6-4, 6-3, and Zabaleta defeated Nicolas Massu 6-1, 7-5.
CLIJSTERS OUT?: Kim Clijsters will pull out of the French Open because of a recurring left wrist injury, according to her Web site. Clijsters' coach told a Belgian radio station she needs to take five weeks off, suggesting the player would miss Roland Garros. Clijsters was the runnerup in 2001 and 2003 at the French Open, where play starts May24. The French Tennis Federation said it was unaware if Clijsters' is pulling out.
ET CETERA
DIVING: U.S. Olympian Mark Ruiz advanced to the men's platform final at the Grand Prix at the Woodlands, Texas, finishing 11 points behind Australia's Robert Newbery (478.50) in the semis.
TRACK AND FIELD: Five-time Olympic medalist Marion Jones won the 100 meters at the Jamaica Invitational in 11.04 seconds. It was Jones' first competition outdoors in the 100 since 2002. Gail Devers, 37, won the 100 hurdles in 12.50, but has not committed to the U.S. Olympic trials in July.
