Posts Tagged ‘drugs in racing’
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
Saturday’s Summit of Speed at Calder Race Course near Miami has attracted some of racing’s most successful trainers, including multiple Eclipse Award winners Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert. But there’s another name on the program, that of Kirk Ziadie, who has become increasingly familiar to South Florida racing fans and horseplayers who wager on the long Calder meeting.
Some people may in fact be wondering why Ziadie is allowed to start four horses in Saturday’s rich stakes program after being handed a 60-day suspension last month by the Florida Department of Business Regulations Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering following his 13th medication violation in Florida since 2004. (Click here to see the evidence in the case and the ruling against Ziadie for an Acepromazine positive in a horse that won at Gulfstream Park on March 17, 2007.)
Ziadie, 40, is the son of Ralph Ziadie, a Jamaican of Lebanese descent who came to the United States in the late 1970s and, after a few years of running a restaurant and selling cars, has been a fixture on the Miami racing scene. Kirk eventually went to work for his father before taking out his trainer’s license in 2003 and going out on his own. According to an article in a Jamaican newspaper, the two men have not been particularly close.
Like his father, who has won numerous training titles at Calder and is a member of the track’s Hall of Fame, Kirk Ziadie has been very successful at saddling winners. He won his first training title at Calder during the 2006-07 Tropical at Calder meeting where an astounding 53% of his starters were winners. He was leading trainer at Tampa Bay Downs the previous year with a strike rate of 31%.
 But Ziadie (pictured, left) has also compiled a prodigious list of rules violations. Here is what the Association of Racing Commissioners International has on Kirk Ziadie in its database—30 rulings from five states since 2004, most of the fines and suspensions for medication violations (and that doesn’t include the most recent ruling, the 60-day suspension, against him):
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Ruling Number: 426000 Date: 3/25/2009
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 500 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 5/2/2009 Suspension End: None
Description: 320-Tampa Bay Downs, Inc. Horse: MIKE’S CLASSIC Drug: Clenbuterol (In Urine 4.5 ng/mL - In Serum 250 pg/mL) Sample # 426000 Lab # A294065-HB and A294065-HU
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Ruling Number: 421937 Date: 9/11/2008
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 1000 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 11/14/2008 Suspension End: 11/28/2008
Description: 325-Calder Race Course Horse: R SALTY VET Drug: Phenylbutazone Sample # 421937 Lab # A236124-HB HEARING DATE 11/14/2008 FINED $1000.00 AND OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE SUSPENDED FOR 15 DAYS: 12/2 through and including 12/16/2008.
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Ruling Number: 08082 Date: 8/20/2008
Issued By: Minnesota Racing Commission Facility: CANTERBURY PARK
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Horse Breed: Thoroughbred
Drug(s): Dimethylsulfoxide
Fine Amount: $ 200 Fine Paid: Yes
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: Trainer Kirk M Ziadie, having responded is hereby assessed a civil penalty of $200 for a medication violation "Dimethylsulfoxide" (DMSO) found in the sample E77027 taken from the horse "Fireonthewire" following the fifth race at Canterbury Park on August 2, 2008. MS 240.24 MRC Rule 7890.0100 Subp. 13C; 7890.0110 Subp. 1.
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Ruling Number: 70-2008 DE Date: 8/6/2008
Issued By: Delaware Racing Commission Facility: DELAWARE PARK
Ruling Type: General Rulings
Division: Horse Breed: Thoroughbred
Drug(s): Unknown
Fine Amount: $ 500 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: 70-2008 Trainer Kirk Ziadie, DOb 8/22/68, having waived his right to a hearing, is fined the sum of five hundred ($500.00) dollars for entering the horse "STEELIX", which was on the Vets List at Saratoga, necessistating a scratch from the eighth race at Delaware Park on Sunday, July 27, 2008. Refer to D.T.R.C Rules 3.4; and 10.8.1.2. Fine to be paid within 48 hours. Ruling 70-2008
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Ruling Number: 408209 Date: 6/14/2008
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 1000 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 11/14/2008 Suspension End: 11/28/2008
Description: 325-Calder Race Course Horse: CENZONTLE Drug: Oxyphenbutazone Sample # 408209 Lab # A217496-HB HEARING DATE 11/14/08 FINED $1000 3rd offense within calendar year
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Ruling Number: 408219 Date: 6/14/2008
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 1000 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 11/14/2008 Suspension End: 11/28/2008
Description: 325-Calder Race Course Horse: ROMAGNOLA Drug: Oxyphenbtazone Sample # 408219 Lab # A217503-HB HEARING DATE 11/14/2008 FINED $1000.00
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Ruling Number: 2008010 Date: 6/12/2008
Issued By: Virginia Racing Commission Facility: COLONIAL DOWNS
Ruling Type: General Rulings
Division: Horse Breed: Thoroughbred
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 500 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: Having waived his right to legal counsel and a hearing is hereby assessed a fine of $500 for scratching the horse, "BROAD SWORD" from the Seventh race on Tueaday, June 10, 2008 without an excuse satisfactory to the Stewards (the horse ran on June 8, 2008 at Delaware Park). Fine to be paid within 72 hours.
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Ruling Number: 23-2008 Date: 6/3/2008
Issued By: Delaware Racing Commission Facility: DELAWARE PARK
Ruling Type: Failure to Complete Interim License Procedure
Division: Horse Breed: Thoroughbred
Drug(s): Unknown
Fine Amount: $ 500 Fine Paid: Yes
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: 23-2008 TRAINER KIRK ZIADIE, DOB 8/22/68, HAVING WAIVED HIS RIGHT TO A HEARING, IS FINED THE SUM OF FIVE HUNDRED ($500.00) DOLLARS FOR FAILING TO SECURE A CURRENT LICENSE AND FAILING TO HAVE WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION ON FILE WITH THE DELAWARE THOROUGHBRED RACING COMMISSION LICENSING OFFICE, NECESSITATING A SCRATCH ON THE HORSE "NAV QUATORZE" IN THE FOURTH RACE ON SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2008. REFER TO D.R.C RULES 7.1.1, 7.3.3, AND 3.4. FINE TO BE PAID WITHIN 48 HOURS. RULING 23-2008
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Ruling Number: 405268 2008004736 Date: 1/5/2008
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Phenylbutazone
Fine Amount: $ 500 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 1/26/2008 Suspension End: None
Description: 321-Gulfstream Park Horse: FOREIGN RUCKUS Drug: Phenylbutazone Sample # 405268 Lab # A174623-HB Ruling #2008004736 Fine $500.00 Paid 1/27/08 Check #2325 (Total payment $750.00 for Case / Ruling # #2008 00 5198 [Ruling #2008004736], Fine $500.00 and 2007 06 8121 [Ruling #2008004547], Fine $250.00)
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Ruling Number: 401327 2007 06 8121 Date: 12/2/2007
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 250 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 1/25/2008 Suspension End: None
Description: Bute Overage 323-Tropical At Calder Race Course Sample 401327 Lab# A168394-HU Fine $250 Trainer Kirk Ziaidie, Ruling #2007 06 8121
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Ruling Number: 401327 2008004547 Date: 12/2/2007
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Phenylbutazone
Fine Amount: $ 250 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 1/25/2008 Suspension End: None
Description: 323-Tropical Park, Inc Horse: REGAL GLORY Drug: Phenylbutazone Sample # 401327 Lab # A168394-HB Ruling #2008004547 Fine $250.00 Paid 1/27/08 Check #2325 (Total payment $750.00 for Case / Ruling # #2008 00 5198 [Ruling #2008004736], Fine $500.00 and 2007 06 8121 [Ruling #2008004547], Fine $250.00)
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Ruling Number: 195855 Date: 10/25/2007
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 300 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 11/23/2008 Suspension End: 11/28/2008
Description: 323-Tropical Park, Inc @ 325-Calder Race Course Horse: HOLIDAY MOMENT Drug: Clenbuterol Sample # 195855 Lab # A15973-HU Report of Positive Results delivered to the Board of Stewards for possible administrative action on November 16, 2007. HEARING HELD 11/14/08 DID NOT DISPUTE LABORATORY FINDINGS WILL COMPLY WITH THE DECISION OF THE BOARD OF STEWARDS. FINED $300.00 1/20/09 Fine remains unpaid.
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Ruling Number: 320000964 Date: 3/11/2007
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 250 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 3/24/2007 Suspension End: None
Description: 320-Tampa Bay Downs Expired coggins at race time JS Ruling #320-000964 Fine $250.00 Paid on 04/13/07 Ck # 094554
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Ruling Number: 191546 320000949 Date: 1/6/2007
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Clenbuterol
Fine Amount: $ 250 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 3/3/2007 Suspension End: None
Description: 320-Tampa Bay Downs Horse: STEELIX Drug: Clenbuterol Sample #191546 Lab #A094103-HU Ruling No. 320-000949 dated 3/3/07. Fine $250.00. Fine paid 3/13/07 with ck#1441.
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Ruling Number: 188427 323000649 Date: 11/26/2006
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Phenylbutazone
Fine Amount: $ 1000 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 3/23/2007 Suspension End: 4/12/2007
Description: 323-Tropical Park, Inc Horse: PARADISE DANCER Drug: Phenylbutazone Sample #188427 Lab #A085564-HB 04/13/07 Rec’d Ruling # 323-000649 dated 03/28/07, fine of $100.00 Pd 04/12/07.
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Ruling Number: 187661 Date: 10/15/2006
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Phenylbutazone
Fine Amount: $ 1000 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 11/16/2006 Suspension End: 12/26/2006
Description: 325-Calder Race Course Horse: RGIRLDOESN’TBLUFF Drug: Phenylbutazone Sample #187661 Lab #A075986-HB Rec’d Ruling # 325-000939 dated 11/19/06 fine $1,000.00 Pd 12/26/06.
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Ruling Number: 185092 320000916 Date: 3/18/2006
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Oxyphenbutazone Phenylbutazone
Fine Amount: $ 500 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 4/22/2006 Suspension End: None
Description: 320-Tampa Bay Downs Horse: RED HEAD CHAMP Drug: Phenylbutazone / Oxyphenbutazone Sample #185092 Lab #A028872-HB Ruling No. 320.000916 dated 4/26/06. Fine $500.00. Fine paid 5/6/06 with check number 232.
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Ruling Number: 320000908 Date: 3/9/2006
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 250 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 3/19/2006 Suspension End: None
Description: 320-Tampa Bay Downs Late Scratch: (No Offical Foal Certificate) JS Ruling #320-000908 Fine $250.00 Paid 4/1/06, Ck #060931
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Ruling Number: 184323 320000896 Date: 1/30/2006
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 250 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 3/2/2006 Suspension End: None
Description: 320-Tampa Bay Downs Horse: KING DREAMER Drug: Dimethyl Sulfoxide Sample #184323 Lab #A015171-HU JS Ruling #320-000896 dated 3/2/06 - Fine $250.00 Paid 3/3/06, Ck #3303.
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Ruling Number: 183059 320000895 Date: 1/15/2006
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 3/2/2006 Suspension End: None
Description: 320-Tampa Bay Downs Horse: KING DREAMER Drug: Dimethyl Sulfoxide Sample #183059 Lab #A011618-HU JS Ruling #320-000895 dated 3/2/06. Fine $100.00. Fine Paid 3/3/06 with Ck #3303.
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Ruling Number: 320000869 Date: 1/12/2006
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 250 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 1/23/2006 Suspension End: None
Description: 320-Tampa Bay Downs Late Stratch JS Ruling #320-000869 Fine $250.00 Paid 2/3/06 Ck #087268
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Ruling Number: 320000870 Date: 1/1/2006
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 250 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 1/23/2006 Suspension End: None
Description: 320-Tampa Bay Downs Late Scratch JS Ruling #320-000870 dated 1/23/06. Fine $250.00 Paid 2/3/06 Ck #087268.
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Ruling Number: 179373 323000607 Date: 12/2/2005
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Phenylbutazone
Fine Amount: $ 250 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 1/20/2006 Suspension End: None
Description: 323-Tropical Park @ 325-Calder Race Course Inv Diana Neira Horse: FAR WEST Drug: Phenylbutazone Sample #179373 Lab #A001018-HB JS Ruling #323-000607 Fine $250.00 Pd 1/17/06 Ck. #3040
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Ruling Number: *N*10094780 Date: 7/7/2005
Issued By: New Jersey Racing Commission Facility: MONMOUTH PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: FAILED TO HAVE FOAL PAPERS ON FILE.
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Ruling Number: *N*10094102 Date: 6/23/2005
Issued By: New Jersey Racing Commission Facility: MONMOUTH PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: FAILED TO HAVE FOAL PAPERS ON FILE.
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Ruling Number: 173147 325000843 Date: 5/8/2005
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Clenbuterol
Fine Amount: $ 300 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 7/24/2005 Suspension End: None
Description: 320-Tampa Bay Downs (Raced in Tampa Bay Downs but Stables Horses @ 325-Calder Race Course) Inv Dennis Badillo Horse: DON AGUSTIN Drug: Clenbuterol Cl 3 Sample 173147 Lab #25859M JS Ruling #325-000843 Fine $300.00 Paid 8/23/05, Ck #32157
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Ruling Number: 320000840 Date: 4/22/2005
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 4/17/2005 Suspension End: None
Description: 320-Tampa Bay Downs No Foal Certificate At Race Time JS Ruling #320-000840 Fine $100.00. Fine paid 4/17/05.
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Ruling Number: 089809 323000578 Date: 12/3/2004
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 500 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 11/17/2005 Suspension End: 1/17/2006
Description: 323-Tropical Park Inc Resp Lic #701515 Inv Dennis Badillo Horse: BOLIDO Drug: Glycopyrrolate Cl Sample #089809 Lab #01072M 12/16/04, As per J. Helton all Glycopyrrolate DP have been referred to our Legal Dept. until a final determination has been made. JS Ruling #323-000578 - Fine $500.00 Paid 1/17/06, Ck #3039 - Included in this ruling is Case #2004057550
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Ruling Number: 088845 Date: 10/14/2004
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: N/A
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 11/17/2005 Suspension End: 1/17/2006
Description: 325-Calder Race Course Resp Lic #701515 Inv Dennis Badillo Horse: MUSICAL BEAT Drug: Glycopyrrolate Cl 3 Sampe #088845 Lab #94082L 12/07/04, As per J.Helton all Glycopyrrolate Drup Posotives have been referred to our Legal Dept. until a final determination has been made. Rec’d. J/S Ruling 323-000578 dated 11/17/05 fine $500.00 and a 15 days supension, completed 11/14-11/28. Note that the same Ruling also included case # 2004060610, sample # 089809, in which the fine and suspension applied for both violations.
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Ruling Number: 932228 Date: 5/2/2004
Issued By: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Flunixin
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: 5/30/2004 Suspension End: None
Description: 320-Tampa Bay Downs Resp Lic #701515 Inv Nicolas Miyar Horse: BRUSHED WITH GLORY Drug: Flunixin Sample #932228 Lab #73783L Ruling #325-000676 issued by Board of Stewards at Calder Race Course on May 30, 2004; respondent fined $100.00. Fine paid June 1, 2004 by Ck. #104.
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By my estimate, Ziadie has paid a total of $13,550 in fines for his violations, which some might equate as the cost of doing business as a horse trainer. However, some horsemen manage to get through an entire career without any fines or suspensions for breaking medication rules.
The current suspension against Ziadie is based on a positive test from March 2007. According to the ruling, at a hearing on the case (in April of 2009), Ziadie admitted to giving Acepromazine to his horses on race day to “settle them at the starting gate.” Ziadie denied giving the Class 3 drug (according to RCI guidelines) to the horse in question, although according to the ruling he admitted his accounting and stable management had been “in chaos” over a period of time. Ziadie said at the April hearing that he had hired a new accountant.
He then asked the presiding officer of the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering for leniency.
Seriously.
So here we have a trainer, one who has won many races, but who has more than 30 rules violations in less than six years on the job. He is being judged on a positive test for a prohibited substance from two years earlier; since that alleged infraction, he’s had several other fines and suspensions meted out against him—and he is asking for leniency.
Ziadie has also taken his case outside of racing’s regulatory system and has asked for and received a stay of the suspension from a court of appeals while he and an attorney consider an appeal to the ruling. That way, he won’t get shut out of running his horses in Saturday’s Summit of Speed at Calder.
And we wonder, “Why has racing lost its popularity and credibility?”
* * *
As a final note, I wouldn’t be writing about Kirk Ziadie and his record of rules violations if it weren’t for the persistence of a racing fan and horseplayer who brought the case to my attention when the original ruling was handed down a couple of weeks ago. I want to thank him and all the others who help keep the Paulick Report informed through our anonymous tip line about some of the things going on in Thoroughbred racing and breeding that are either ignored or underreported by the mainstream media and trade press.
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Tags: acepromazine, association of racing commissioners international, calder, division of pari-mutuel wagering, drugs in horse racing, drugs in racing, florida department of business regulations, Kirk Ziadie, medication violations, Paulick Report, Ralph Ziadie, Ray Paulick
Posted in Horse Welfare, Medication, Regulatory Issues | 99 Comments »
Friday, January 2nd, 2009
Gina Rarick and I grew up as neighbors of sorts – she on a Wisconsin dairy farm and I amidst the cornfields on the Prairie State side of the Illinois-Wisconsin border. We both gravitated toward journalism and the Thoroughbred industry, though her life’s work carried her across the Atlantic Ocean to Paris, France, while mine only brought me a few hundred miles down the interstate to within a half-hour’s drive of Paris, Kentucky.
 Rarick (pictured, left) began her career in journalism nearly a quarter-century ago at the Milwaukee Journal and she wound up as the turf writer for the International Herald Tribune in Paris, France, covering major race meetings around the world. She never completely lost her rural roots, taking riding lessons while working in Chicago and later in Paris. She got serious about horses in France, getting her jockey’s license and riding into the winner’s circle in her first race in 2001 at the age of 38.
One year later, Rarick took out her trainer’s license, juggling a small stable with her journalism career, finally giving up the latter in 2008 to work full time as a trainer in Maisons-Laffitte. She hasn’t total abandoned writing, however, maintaining a frequently updated blog at her web site, www.gallopfrance.com. You can contact Gina at grarick@gallopfrance.com.
Rarick has been reading about American racing’s problems and offers her international perspective in the following commentary, arguing that the Thoroughbred industry in the U.S. needs a strong central governing body. Let us know your reaction to Rarick’s assertion in the comments section at the end of this article or by taking the Daily Paulick Poll, found on the left-hand column of the Paulick Report home page. – Ray Paulick
By Gina Rarick
There has been endless debate over the past year about how to save racing in the United States, and the focus has turned lately to how to pay for it all and who gets what size piece of an ever-dwindling pie.
For my money, cleaning up the sport and turning the focus back to the well-being of the equine athlete is the first and only way to go forward, but for those who insist on dwelling on the business model, I’d like to offer a little international perspective that may be of use.
In France, where I train, the betting handle has nearly doubled over the past decade. It rose to 9 billion euros in 2007, the most recent year for which figures are available, from 5.5 billion euros in 1997. In the United States, the handle fell to 10 billion euros in 2007 from 13.7 billion in 1997. The figures are from the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, which converts all figures to euros for ease of comparison. The takeout in France fell to 26% in 2007 from 30% in 1997, while in the United States the takeout has been steady at about 21%. Both countries return about 8% to the sport.
In Great Britain, things are far more complicated because of the bookmakers. The overall betting handle rose to 15 billion euros in 2006, the latest numbers available, from 7.5 billion in 1997. But most of that betting was done with betting exchanges or bookmakers, who return just 1% to the sport, compared with the already-paltry 4% from the pari-mutuel Tote system. Overall takeout fell to 16% in 2006 from 22% in 1997.
Lies, damn lies and statistics. What does it all mean? First off, bookmakers and any sort of fragmented market are mortal for the sport.
Racing in Britain is in horrible shape, with breeders producing far more horses than the sport can support, counting on a lucrative export market that is drying up. The average purse in Britain last year was 15,000 euros (and that’s the total purse, not the win prize). But that tops the average 12,000 euro purse in the United States. In France, where the pari-mutuel PMU system has a monopoly on betting, the average purse was 21,000 euros.
One of the big arguments that bettors make is that lowering the takeout will increase the betting handle. But the takeout in the United States has remained constant for the past decade, while the handle has fallen.
True, the takeout in France and England has dropped, and the handle has risen. And it’s also true that big players are cognizant of this sort of thing. I’m a trainer, not a gambler (or at least not a serious one), but it’s my impression that most casual bettors, and certainly new, small players, pay absolutely no attention to the takeout. They’re here for the spectacle and the horses. When the pretty gray filly shatters her ankles and is euthanized on the track, they’re disgusted and they’re not coming back.
And as much as we like to think the whales run the sport, it’s the small players that provide the lifeblood. In France, the average bet last year was 11 euros; 40% of the players were women, and one in four were under 35 years of age. The PMU operation in France has a stunning marketing campaign, and the daily “Quinte Plus” handicap, where the object is to pick the first five past the post in order, has a huge national following. Many people who play don’t know beans about horses – they pick random numbers. That bet alone – offered on one race a day – was responsible for 23% of the handle last year.
The other misconception seems to be that the sport needs to draw fans to the track. Again, as a trainer, I would love to see more people in the stands other than the 10 guys and a cat that show up on any given day here in France. But the numbers in the United States and France show us that most people prefer to bet at home or at off-track facilities. In the United States in 2006, only 11% of the betting was done at the track, compared with 39% in Britain, where people have to show up to get the best odds from the on-course bookies.
In France in 2006, only 2% of the bets were made at the track. I’m not kidding. The only people who show up here are the ones who have to actually saddle the horse or ride it. But advances in technology and ever-better television coverage (at least in France) make it too enticing to curl up on the couch and bet by remote control. Accepting this, rather than trying to change it, seems the only logical way to proceed.
The powers that be in racing – both in France and abroad – seem to be focusing on the top end of the game rather than the bottom, which feeds the top. Your average race-goer (or racing couch potato) doesn’t know the difference between Curlin and a 10,000 euro claimer. These guys want to see full fields to make the betting interesting. Sure, it’s nice to have a good story with a horse running in Group or Grade 1 races to use as a marketing tool. But those stories are few and far between these days, and concentrating on building up only those top races, at the expense of the bottom end, will further eat into the handle.
No one wants to encourage breeding unsuitable horses, but maintaining a good program through all levels will keep people betting. I have rarely seen a card anywhere in America that features seven races with at least 10 runners each. In France, there have been hundreds of horses eliminated from spots during the Deauville winter season this year because of a glut of entries. Rarely is there a race that doesn’t have a full field of 16.
I’m not saying we have a racing Utopia over here. Every jurisdiction has its problems, and ours is the cold north wind blowing from Brussels that is pushing France to open the betting monopoly. If this happens, our purses are likely to go the way of the rest of the Continent, and the sport will begin to die, just as it is in Germany, Belgium and, unfortunately, Great Britain. As it is, runners from all those countries are regular visitors here, trying to earn some money the old-fashioned way – by crossing the line first.
I can’t see how American racing can save itself without some sort of nationwide governing body. I know this idea is anathema to many and downright offensive to some, but I can’t see how the sport can survive with a different set of medication rules and different betting systems for every state. Only with a unified front — and a total ban on race-day medication — can the United States truly participate in the sport on an international level and build confidence at home.
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Tags: betting exchange, betting takeout, british bookmakers, drugs in racing, francegallop.com, gina rarick, Horse Racing, international federation of horseracing authorities, international herald tribune, international horse racing, maisons-laffitte, milwaukee journal, off-track betting, pari-mutuel wagering, Paulick Report, pmo, quinte plus, racing medication, Ray Paulick, Simulcasting, turf writing
Posted in Horse Racing, Industry Reform, International Racing, Medication, Racing Media, Thoroughbred Business | 29 Comments »
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
By Ray Paulick
Under questioning by an attorney representing Rodney Stewart, the veterinarian appealing a five-year suspension for his possession of cobra venom and other banned substances at Keeneland in June 2007, John Veitch, chief steward for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and a retired Hall of Fame trainer, admitted that his racing star Alydar was treated with cobra venom after suffering an injury in September of his 3-year-old season.Attorney Mike Meuser asked Veitch about the use of the now-banned substance during an appeal of Stewart’s suspension before racing commission hearing officer Bob Layton on Wednesday in Lexington, Ky. “Did Dr. Charles Allen give cobra venom to Alydar during the time you trained him?” Meuser asked.
“On one occasion,” Veitch confirmed, saying it came after Alydar had fractured the coffin bone in a foot while training up to the 1978 Marlboro Cup Handicap. “It wasn’t effective,” Veitch said. “We would not have run him again if it had worked. We treated him at the time. He was not in training. We experimented with Dr. Chuck Allen, who was an expert on venom. At the time, cobra venom was legal for use in the United States for treating Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). We tried it and it didn’t work. We didn’t use it as therapy so he could race, but only to see if we could relieve some pain.”
Technically, cobra venom, a powerful blocking agent, is not an illegal substance. It is not approved for use in humans or animals by the FDA and is prohibited in most racing jurisdictions, including Kentucky, which classifies it as a "Class A" drug, one that can be abused as an illegal performance enhancing substance.
Three vials of venom and other prohibited substances were found during a search of three barns on Keeneland property used by trainer Patrick Biancone and in a vehicle registered to Stewart. Most of the substances were found in a soft-sided cooler kept in a refrigerator in Barn 74, located in the barn area known as the Keeneland training center off Keeneland’s main property across Rice Road. Stewart admitted to officials the substances were his and that he was only using a refrigerator in Biancone’s barn because he and his wife were in the process of moving from Kentucky to New York. Stewart said his wife had packed the bag with medications usually kept in a refrigerator at their rented home, but that he had been living in temporary quarters. He said he wasn’t aware of everything that was in the bag. Biancone was suspended for six months and agreed not to seek reinstatement for another six months. Stewart received a five-year ban. As chief steward of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, Veitch was in charge of the investigation involving the banned substances and the hearing that led to the suspensions.
Bob Watt, an attorney representing the racing commission, called several witnesses in addition to Veitch, including one of the investigators who conducted the search, commission veterinarian Mary Scollay and Keeneland executive Harvie Wilkinson.
Scollay called cobra venom an "exceedingly dangerous" substance that could cause a loss of sensation in a horse’s foot and block pain. She said there is no known test to detect cobra venom in urine or blood.
During cross-examination of Wilkinson, who among other things oversees security at Keeneland, Meuser asked whether Keeneland officials ever sought approval from the racing commission to have the Rice Road training facility recognized as part of Keeneland’s racetrack grounds. Wilkinson said he was not aware that they had sought approval.
The purpose of that question came to light later in the day when Stewart himself was testifying and Meuser asked if he believed Barn 74 was part of the racetrack property. "I thought it was a private barn," Stewart replied.
"I thought it was Patrick’s private barn. He’d always referred to it that way."
Records showed that Stewart had purchased four vials of the cobra venom in July 2006 from BioToxins, a Saint Cloud, Fla., company. The veterinarian testified that he had used one of the vials on a former racehorse that had been rescued from a farm and was being used as a stable pony. The other vials remained in their shrinkwrap packaging. The vials contain a powder which is then mixed in a salilne solution before injection.
Among the other substances seized was a container of Carbidopa-Levodopa, a human medication used to treat Parkinson’s disease. Scollay testified that the drug could act as a stimulant and reduce fatigue in humans. In later testimony, Stewart said he did not use the drug on any horses but did not recall why he had it. Another bottle with an unknown honey-like substance inside was labeled "For Mythical Elmo," according to the testimony, but it was more likely meant for the Biancone-trained filly Mythical Echo. Its contents remain unknown.
Another bottle found was labeled with the lettering "R.T.H.." When asked about the "R.T.H." substance, Stewart said "a fellow from South Africa had given it to me. It was used there to treat bleeding." When pressed he said he had no idea what pharmacological agents were contained in the liquid. .Stewart said he has had his license to practice on "competition animals" (including horses, greyhounds and camels) suspended in Australia, where he earned his veterinary degree in 1997. He is banned from racetracks but is allowed to continue his veterinary practice in the United States.
The hearing will continue Dec. 9. Among the issues to be covered area the contents of Stewart’s personal computer, which has been sent to a business that conducts forensic searches on computer hard drives to extract any information related to his veterinary practice for a period of time prior to his suspension.
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Tags: als, alydar, biotoxins, bob watt, carbidopa-Levodopa, cobra venom, cobratoxin, dr. charles allen, dr. churck allen, drugs in racing, harvie wilkinson, john veitch, Keeneland, kentucky horse racing commission, lou gehrig's disease, Mary Scollay, mike meuser, mythical echo, mythical elmo, parkinson's, patrick biancone, Paulick Report, r.t.h., Ray Paulick, rodney stewart
Posted in Medication, Regulatory Issues | 14 Comments »
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
The Paulick Report caught up with former New York Racing Association chief operating officer Bill Nader, who since April 2007 has served as executive director of racing for the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Nader is attending the 32 nd Asian Racing Conference in Tokyo, where he gave a presentation on the Asian Racing Federation’s International Circuit.
Ray Paulick: Bill, can you briefly describe your responsibilities at the Hong Kong Jockey Club?
Bill Nader: As executive director, I oversee all racing operations, and that extends to the laboratories, veterinarians, farriers, grooms, work riders, handicappers, racing stewards, racing registry, marketing, public affairs and also the international races. It’s a big operation. There are about 1,800 people reporting directly or indirectly to me, and we have tremendous people in the key positions from all over the world, from Hong Kong, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
What’s the best part of your job?
The popularity of the sport makes it contagious and gives you a reason to want to get up every day. There’s never a dull day. It’s the major sport in Hong Kong. There are single events that may be bigger, but in terms of something sustainable over the course of the year racing is the only game in town. One example: circulation of a daily newspaper increases by 30% on a race day.
 Your biggest challenge?
The ability for us to grow. It’s one thing to get where we are and sustain our position, but to take it to the next level. We think we can do that, but we need government support. We have 78 race meetings and we have to guarantee HK$8 billion (about US$1 billion) in revenue to the government. My two years have been lucky, we’ve been up in turnover. We’ve been able to grow from HK$60 billion in handle to HK$68 billion last year. Tax rate effectively is 73% of gross margin, before we pay prize money or overhead. We can only simulcast 10 single races per season and want to expand that but have been unsuccessful so far. There’s limited stabling and no breeding industry, so no room to expand. We have an active population of just over 1,100 horses. To get through 735 races, 90% of the races on turf, with those horses, it’s a challenging process.
What is the major difference between working at NYRA and working for the Hong Kong Jockey Club?
Resources. Not just money but the depth of personnel at top levels all the way down. The Hong Kong Jockey Club is arguably the most professionally run racing organization in the world. It’s a finely tuned machine. Its can-do spirit is really evident day by day taking tough assignments and meeting the challenge, whether it’s working on the Olympic Games or the international races. The work ethic here, too, is amazing. Our employees work 11 or 12 hour days and won’t go home until they feel their job is done.
What do you miss the most about the U.S.?
I miss a lot. Italian restaurants, sports, Broadway shows. There are no major league sports here. Overall there’s a lot of good things about Hong Kong, so it’s a trade-off. How do you spend your leisure time?
I don’t have a lot of it. During the 10 months of the racing season, we’re fortunate to get one day off a month.
What do you know today you didn’t know before you came to Hong Kong?
It’s been amazing. It opens your eyes to come and see racing presented in a different system. The whole approach is different. You learn by just opening your eyes. I learned early on not to jump to any conclusions and get a feel for the methodology that’s employed in this part of the world. A lot of things done here we can’t duplicate back in America.
Are there things that we can do better in America?
The position on medication is interesting. Talking to our vets, all of the countries in the Asian Racing Federation with the exception of Saudi Arabia have no medication. We have horses that run back in a week, sometimes in three days, no Bute, no Lasix, no medication. Even 2-year-olds in the States that run on Bute and Lasix, I wonder now if any of that is necessary. In this part of the world the climate can be tough, yet horses run as often or more often as they do in the states. America needs to take a hard look at medication policies.
Have you made any cultural faux pas in your new home?
I’ve been very careful, though I was a little sloppy with my chopsticks at first. I have learned some customs. The number 8 is lucky, 28 is lucky. Four is death. In fact in a lot of office buildings if you get on a lift there is no fourth floor.
Any message for the racing public in the United States?
The message would be that they try to open up and appreciate racing from this part of the world, much like I wish Asian people would appreciate American racing. When I got here in late April 2007, there was very little interest in the Kentucky Derby. It was a major event, and this is a horse loving part of the world, yet the biggest interest was that the queen was going to attend the Derby. There was no interest in the horses.
The message goes both ways. The only way that’s going to happen is if we can get commingled pools so that people can see it and appreciate it. It’s important for people to really appreciate racing here as we do there. Both sides have so much to offer.
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Tags: 32nd asian racing conference, asian racing conference, asian racing federation, Bill Nader, commingled pools, commingling, drugs in racing, happy valley, hkjc, hong kong jockey club, Horse Racing, International Racing, Medication, New York Racing Association, nyra, Olympic games, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, sha tin, Simulcasting, tokyo
Posted in International Racing, New York Racing Association, Simulcasting, Uncategorized | Comments Off
Thursday, October 2nd, 2008
By Ray Paulick
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, stung by the recent disclosure by its former chief veterinarian that no testing for TCO2 loading (also known as milkshakes) was conducted at the Ellis Park Thoroughbred meeting this summer, is facing another embarrassment involving its impotence over positive tests for blood-doping agents in four horses at the Red Mile harness track in Lexington, the Paulick Report has learned.
High-placed sources at the horse racing commission and Kentucky’s Equine Drug Research Council told the Paulick Report that out-of-competition testing on at least four horses detected a form of erythropoietin, which helps increase the production of red blood cells and has been used in both human and equine sports to illegally enhance performance. It is virtually impossible to detect in normal post-race tests because the drug is given up to two weeks before a race and can only be detected for about 48 hours thereafter. Cycling and other human sports rely on out-of-competition testing to catch blood-doping cheaters.
Because the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has no rules on the book regulating the results of out-of-competition testing, it is unable to prosecute any of the positive tests or penalize those involved. Officials at the Red Mile, according to sources, have merely barred the horses from further competition at the current meeting, which ends on Saturday. Rules concerning out-of-competition testing at the Red Mile can be found here.
Red Mile president Joe Costa could not be reached for comment.
“The state does not have rules for out-of-competition testing,” said Jim Carroll, a communications officer for Kentucky’s Public Protection Cabinet. “I would refer you to the Red Mile. The track has authority.”
Carroll would not confirm whether the indefinite suspensions announced on Thursday of two veterinarians, Rick Mather and Rick Rothfuss of Columbus, Ohio, were related to the alleged positive blood-doping tests. A press release from the commission said two Kentucky Horse Racing Commission investigators searched two trucks owned by the veterinarians and seized records and unidentified substances, which are being sent to a laboratory for testing. Richard Williams, the commission’s presiding judge for Standardbred racing, imposed the suspension after reviewing the physical evidence. A hearing on the suspension is pending.
“It’s gotten ridiculous,” one prominent Standardbred horsemen told the Paulick Report. “We have more vets driving around on the backstretch than we have horses back there.”
One state that takes a harsher view of blood-doping positive tests and possession of illegal blood-doping agents is New Jersey, whose racing commission routinely conducts out-of-competition testing. The New Jersey Commission has issued bans of more than 15 years for horsemen and veterinarians caught in blood-doping schemes, and in one case criminal charges have been filed.
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Tags: aranesp, bicarbondate loading, blood doping, blood-doping agents, drugs in racing, ellis park, epo, epogen, erythropoietin, horse doping, Horse Racing, jim carroll, joe costa, kentucky horse racing commission, Medication, milkshakes, new jersey racing commission, out of competition testing, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, red mile, richard williams, rick mather, rick rothfuss, standardbred racing, tco2
Posted in Industry Reform, Medication, Regulatory Issues | Comments Off
Friday, September 19th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
Californian Mike Mitchell has produced a steady stream of winners – mostly in the claiming ranks – since taking out his trainer’s license in 1974. He also has been cited quite regularly for various rules violations, including numerous medication and medication procedural infractions, by track stewards and the California Horse Racing Board, the latest being a positive test for the Class 3 drug Procaine in Scat Thief, third-place finisher in a race at Del Mar Aug. 3.
Procaine is commonly found in the antibiotic Pencillin G.
The longtime California claiming king consistently ranks among meeting leaders at Santa Anita Park, Hollywood Park and Del Mar, and he usually cracks the top 50 in the national standings by earnings. Horses he trains have won $3.5 million thus far in 2008, and he’s winning at a 24% clip. Mitchell makes semi-frequent forays into graded stakes, as he did in 2007 when the $50,000 claim Sun Boat won Del Mar’s Grade 2 San Diego Handicap. Sun Boat died a month later after contracting laminitis.
Earlier this summer, Thoroughbred Times reported that Mitchell received 10 notifications for anabolic steroid positive tests during the transition period to ban the substance in California. The only trainer with more notifications, according to the article, was Del Mar’s leading trainer, John Sadler, who reportedly received 18 notifications. The article said there was a total of 38 notification letters to all trainers, which means Sadler and Mitchell allegedly accounted for 74% of them.
Those reported anabolic steroid notices do not go on Mitchell’s record at the CHRB or into the database of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, which compiles rulings from around the country. The RCI’s compilation of rulings involving Mitchell are shown below.
One of the more interesting rulings in the list of violations is a $5,000 fine in 2004 against Mitchell for an Acepromazine positive that occurred in 2003. Apparently, then CHRB executive director Roy Wood cut a deal with Mitchell for a fine and no suspension before the case even reached track stewards. According to a 2004 article in Bloodhorse magazine by Michael G. Wagner, Wood bargained for fines and no suspensions with trainers whose horses tested positive in order to save the racing board money spent on attorneys.
According to the article, when stewards conducted a hearing on the matter with Mitchell and asked him to discuss how the case was resolved, he told them: "Talking to some of the (CHRB) investigators, they said, ‘You know they really don’t like to suspend anybody now — if you acknowledge the fact that it happened, and you want to pay the fine.’ … So I went through Roy Wood, talked to him. … I felt I just — you know, a 30-day suspension just would have been devastating to me. It would have been terrible. The fine was great."
Wood is no longer with the CHRB.
A hearing for Mitchell has been scheduled Oct. 11 at Santa Anita on the Procaine charge.
Below is Comprehensive Ruling Report on Mitchell from the RCI.
Rulings Against: MICHAEL RAY MITCHELL
46 total ruling(s) listed.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: LATS090 Date: 3/16/2007
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: LOS ANGELES TURF CLUB
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Horse Breed: Thoroughbred
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 300 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: ALTERATION OF SEX OF HORSE
________________________________________
Ruling Number: LATS083 Date: 3/14/2007
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: LOS ANGELES TURF CLUB
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Horse Breed: Thoroughbred
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 3000 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: 06HP192/TC02 POSITIVE
________________________________________
Ruling Number: OTTS001 Date: 10/1/2006
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Horse Breed: Thoroughbred
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 500 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: 06DM072/1629 LATE DECLARATION
________________________________________
Ruling Number: OTTS005 Date: 10/1/2006
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Horse Breed: Thoroughbred
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 1000 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: 06DM075/1843 DICIOFENAC
________________________________________
Ruling Number: HRTH104 Date: 6/29/2006
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Horse Breed: Thoroughbred
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 300 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: HORSE INELIGIBLE TO START
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10101543 Date: 6/29/2006
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 300 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: ENTERED AN INELIGIBLE HORSE.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10092082 Date: 5/5/2005
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: SANTA ANITA PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 300 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: METHOCRBAMOL - "ALPHABETIC", 2ND RACE, 3-72-05.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10080229 Date: 11/11/2004
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: IMPROPERLY SHOD FOR TURF COURSE.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10090571 Date: 11/11/2004
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: 04SA179/E0681/IMPROPERLY SHOD
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10073956 Date: 3/27/2004
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Promazine Promazine
Fine Amount: $ 5000 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: PROMAZINE, "SWEET STEPPER," 3RD RACE, 9/7/03.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10075126 Date: 2/29/2004
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Prednisolone Prednisolone
Fine Amount: $ 300 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: METHYPREDNISOLONE, "AREYOUTALKINTOME", 1ST RACE, 12-20-03, WINNER.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10065309 Date: 7/26/2003
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: DEL MAR
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: LATE TO THE RECEIVING BARN.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10054303 Date: 6/27/2002
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: LATE TO RECEIVING BARN.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10023128 Date: 3/17/2001
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 200 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: PENALTY FOR LATE DECLARATION.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*339217 Date: 5/8/1998
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Flunixin
Fine Amount: $ 300 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: EXCESS FLUNIXIN.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85390 Date: 6/8/1996
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: FAILED TO FILE A DECLARATION AT THE PROPER TIME.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85389 Date: 10/22/1995
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Methocarbamol Methocarbamol
Fine Amount: $ 750 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: TWO POSITIVE TESTS FOR METHOCARBAMOL.
________________________________________
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85372 Date: 2/13/1991
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $100 - EMPLOYMENT OF UNLICENSED PERSON.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85391 Date: 2/13/1991
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 200 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - EXCESS BUTAZOLIDIN FOUND INSAMPLE TAKEN FROM "SILVER STRAND", 2ND RACE ON 2-1.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85398 Date: 7/31/1990
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 200 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - FAILURE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS OF AND DISRESPECT TO PADDOCK JUDGE.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85373 Date: 9/7/1989
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: DEL MAR
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $500 - FOUND EQUIPROXEN IN "BELLE MO", 1ST RACE, 8-30.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85374 Date: 9/1/1989
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: DEL MAR
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $500 - FOUND EQUIPROXEN IN "SPEEDRATIC", 8TH RACE, 8/17/89.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85375 Date: 7/15/1989
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - FOUND ROBAXIN IN "SUCESS FORMULA", 3RD RACE, 7-4.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85376 Date: 1/28/1989
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Hydrocortisone Hydrocortisone Hydrocortisone
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - VIOLATION OF RULE 1844 (MEDICATION-HYDROCORTISONE).
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85399 Date: 8/22/1988
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: DEL MAR
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $100 - EXHIBITING CONDUCT UNBECOMING TO A LICENSEE.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85377 Date: 7/9/1988
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $100 - EMPLOYMENT OF UNLICENSED PERSON.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85392 Date: 12/5/1987
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - NEGLIGENCE IN RACE DAY BLEEDER MEDICATION PROCEDURES.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85378 Date: 11/25/1987
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: 00$200 - FAILURE TO DELIVER HORSE TORECEIVING BARN AT PROPER TIME.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85393 Date: 1/15/1987
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $300 - VIOLATION OF RULE 1844(C) (AUTHORIZED MEDICATION; MORE THAN ONE APPROVED DRUG SUBSTANCE, SECOND OFFENSE).
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85400 Date: 1/3/1987
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - VIOLATION OF RULE 1843(D) (MEDICATION IN EXCESS OF PERMITTED LEVEL - BUTAZOLIDIN).
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85379 Date: 10/3/1986
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - VIOLATION OF RULE 1843(D) (MEDICATION IN EXCESS OF PERMITTED LEVEL - BUTAZOLIDIN).
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85401 Date: 6/11/1986
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - VIOLATION OF RULE 1843(D) (MEDICATION IN EXCESS OF PERMITTED LEVEL - BANAMINE).
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85380 Date: 2/22/1986
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - MEDICATION IN EXCESS OF PERMITTED LEVELS.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85381 Date: 3/28/1984
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: SANTA ANITA PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - MEDICATION IN EXCESS OF LIMITS.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85382 Date: 9/7/1983
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: DEL MAR
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - VIOLATION OF RULE #1845(E) (BLEEDER LIST).
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85383 Date: 7/8/1982
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $100 - FAILURE TO HAVE HORSE, A CONFIRMED BLEEDER, TREATED FOR RACE.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85402 Date: 6/21/1981
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $300 - NEGLIGENCE IN PROCEDURE OF RACEDAY BLEEDER MEDICATION CONDITIONS.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85384 Date: 5/29/1981
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $100 - NEGLIGENCE IN PROCEDURE OF RACE DAY BLEEDER MEDICATION CONDITONS.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85394 Date: 9/14/1980
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: DEL MAR
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $50 - FAILURE TO BE PRESENT AT PADDOCK TO SUPERVISE SADDLINGOF HIS HORSE.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85385 Date: 5/23/1980
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $300 - NEGLIGENCE IN PROCEDURE FOR RACE DAY BLEEDERMEDICATION CONDITIONS.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85395 Date: 2/17/1979
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: SANTA ANITA PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $300 - NEGLIGENCE IN PROCEDURE OF RACE-DAY BLEEDER MEDICATIONCONDITIONS.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85386 Date: 1/25/1979
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: SANTA ANITA PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $100 - NEGLIGENCE IN PROCEDURE OF RACE-DAY BLEEDERMEDICATION.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85403 Date: 5/26/1978
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $100 - FAILURE TO PROPERLY REGISTER A HEEL NERVED HORSE.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85387 Date: 1/2/1978
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: SANTA ANITA PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $150 - VIOLATION OF RULE 1895 (UNLICENSED GROOM IN RECEIVINGBARN).
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85388 Date: 12/10/1975
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: BAY MEADOWS
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $50.00 FOR VIOLATION OF CHRB RULE 1629 (PENALTY FOR LATEDECLARATION).
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Posted in California, California Horse Racing Board, Medication, Regulatory Issues | 7 Comments »
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