California trainer arrested on charges of sexual assault

Northern California trainer Ari Herbertson was arrested this week on charges of sexual assault, according to records from the Berkeley Police Department.

A news release distributed by Berkeley Police public information revealed Herbertson was arrested on Tuesday at Golden Gate Fields. He is accused of "committing an act of sexual penetration of an unconscious victim, attempted rape and sexual battery" in January 2019 after that person left the track, police records state.

The release said police made the arrest after receiving a DNA match for Herbertson and detectives submitted the case to the district attorney's office for review.

Herbertson, 28, of El Sobrante, California, has won 113 races from 382 runners in a training career that began in 2016. Without any California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) rulings or a track-imposed exclusion against him, his horses raced as recently as Saturday at Golden Gate, winning three races from four starts.

"CHRB investigators are looking into the matter to see if any regulatory action can be taken against this licensee at this time," CHRB spokesman Mike Marten wrote in an email Friday.

Herbertson has competed mostly in Northern California, although his horses have occasionally shipped to Southern California, including Noble Nick, who ran fourth in the Marathon Stakes on the Breeders' Cup under card at Del Mar in 2017.

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