DEL MAR, Calif. -- Jockey Corey Nakatani appeared before an administrative law judge on Wednesday in an appeal of a 30-day suspension issued last March at Santa Anita for causing interference that resulted in a spill.

In a hearing that lasted nearly three hours, attorney Donald Calabria, representing Nakatani, argued before administrative law judge James Ahler that the jockey did not maliciously bump the horse alongside of him and cause jockey Javier Santiago to be unseated from his mount.

Steward Tom Ward, who issued the suspension at Santa Anita along with stewards Ingrid Fermin and Pete Pedersen, said Nakatani was given the extensive suspension because "it was an unwarranted riding infraction."

Ahler will issue a written opinion to the California Horse Racing Board, which can accept, deny, or modify the decision. If Nakatani loses his appeal to the racing board, he could take the matter to court. The matter is unlikely to be addressed by the board until the fall.

The incident that resulted in the suspension occurred on the backstretch of a one-mile turf race for $50,000 claimers. Nakatani was aboard Mister Cosmi, who struck the rail after he was crowded by Terrifying, who was ridden by Javier Santiago.

Nakatani and Santiago appeared to exchange words before Mister Cosmi then drifted out and bumped Terrifying near the half-mile pole. Terrifying stumbled and unseated Santiago, who was not injured in the fall.

Mister Cosmi was disqualified from eighth and placed last.

Thursday, Nakatani said he shouted "Hey, hey. Give me some room" after his horse hit the rail. He said he was angling out for more room behind the front-runners when his mount, Mister Cosmi, lurched to the right and collided with Terrifying.

Santiago testified that Nakatani shouted insults to him after their horses made initial contacts.

"When that happened I was trying to go on with the race," Santiago said. "He insulted me and then he tried to push me out of the race. He pulled his horse toward me and my horse got trapped in other horses' legs."

Nakatani disputed that he intended to hurt Santiago.

"I was upset with what happened," Nakatani said. "That doesn't mean I'm going to try and drop somebody."

During Thursday's hearing, trainer Mike Mitchell testified that Mister Cosmi suffered a bowed tendon in the race, though he was only able to speculate that the injury occurred on the backstretch.

Mitchell claimed Mister Cosmi in the race. The horse remains sidelined.

In concluding arguments, Calabria noted that the 30-day suspension was more extreme than the three, five, or seven-day suspension typically issued by stewards at Southern California Thoroughbred tracks.