Stewards at Gulfstream Park in Florida have dismissed an administrative complaint filed earlier this year against Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher after a split sample test failed to confirm the original finding of a medication violation.
Six Minus, an English Channel gelding racing for Repole Stable, Todd Pletcher, and J.J. Pletcher, was found by the state's official testing laboratory at the University of Florida to have elevated levels of two anti-inflammatories in his system, ketoprofen and phenylbutazone, following an allowance/optional claiming race win on the Gulfstream Park on Feb. 3.
It is a violation of Florida medication regulations to have more than one non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication present above certain levels, a practice commonly known as “stacking.” According to the original complaint, Six Minus had a ketoprofen level of 2.49 nanograms per milliliter and a phenylbutazone level of 0.967 micrograms/milliliter. When more than one anti-inflammatory is used, Florida has cutoff levels of 1 ng/ml for ketoprofen and 0.3 micrograms/milliliter for phenylbutazone.
Pletcher requested a split sample be sent to Texas A&M University, which reported its results back to the Florida Gaming Control Commission on June 2. According to a stewards ruling dated June 3, “Ketoprofen was not detected in the sample by LC-MS (liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry). The phenylbutazone results are inconclusive.”
Under Florida statute, the ruling added, “If the division laboratory's findings are not confirmed by the independent laboratory, no further administrative or disciplinary action under this section may be pursued.”
Pletcher has stewards hearings pending on two other alleged violations in Florida, both from Dec. 10, 2022.
All three cases preceded the installation of national regulations under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. The two labs involved in this complaint at the University of Florida and Texas A&M are not among the labs contracted to do testing for HISA and its affiliate, the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit.
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