LOUISVILLE (Kentucky), May 13: Racing officials on Monday cleared Kentucky Derby winning jockey Jose Santos of wrongdoing, dismissing suspicions that he might have used an electrical device to spur Funny Cide to victory in the prestigious May 3 race.

“The stewards unanimously concluded that Mr Santos carried nothing in his right hand other than his whip,” spokesman John Asher of Churchill Downs, site of the Derby, told reporters.

The conclusion cleared the Chilean-born Santos and the New York-bred gelding to pursue thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown in the Preakness this weekend. The third leg of the crown is the Belmont Stakes.

The probe began after a photograph of Funny Cide’s stretch run that seemed to show a dark space between the Chilean-born Santos’ right hand and his whip.

Other photographs seemed to show a view of the space filled by the background green silks of the rider trailing Santos.—Reuters