Jockey’s status for Preakness in doubt

Kentucky Derby winning jockey Stewart Elliott pleaded guilty to assault three years ago, but didn’t disclose the information when applying for a license to ride at Churchill Downs.

His failure to do so is unlikely to affect Elliott’s winning ride aboard Smarty Jones in last Saturday’s Derby, though the 39-year-old rider could face disciplinary action, the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority said Friday.

It also raises questions about his riding status for next Saturday’s Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown.

His agent, Ray Lopez, said Elliott made a mistake when filling out the form to ride in Kentucky.

The form, a copy of which was obtained from the Kentucky racing authority, includes 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 last 10 years.

Elliott checked “No” because, according to his agent, the jockey did not realize the time frame was 10 years.

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.

If an application has been falsified, a jockey could face fines, suspension, revocation or “other disciplinary measures,” according to the Kentucky racing authority.