Trainer Juan Vazquez is facing a month-long suspension after two positives for levamisole from fall 2021.
The Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Racing Commission issued rulings on Feb. 10 disqualifying Hollywood Talent from the Grade 3 Turf Monster Stakes at Parx on Sept. 25, 2021, and stablemate Louie's Wish from a waiver claiming race at Parx on Aug. 30, 2021.
The Hollywood Talent disqualification was a costly one, with the $168,000 first-place purse now going to second-place finisher Beer Can Man, owned by Little Red Feather Racing and Sterling Stables LLC. Hollywood Talent is owned by Vazquez' King Star racing stable.
Vazquez was suspended 15 days for the violation of Louie's Wish, running Feb. 21 through March 7, and 15 days for Hollywood Talent's positive test, to run March 8 through March 22. He was also fined $500 for each violation and assigned four multiple medication violation points for each.
The rulings state that both horses have been disqualified from their winning finishes, although the Equibase charts only reflected a disqualification of Hollywood Talent as of press time.
Additionally, both horses will also be suspended for 90 days, from Feb. 21 to May 21, during which they will be ineligible to start. Hollywood Talent has not started since the Turf Monster, but Louie's Wish posted an official workout at Parx on Feb. 16
Vazquez, whose win percentage for this year so far is 18 percent, is well-known for a lengthy violation history. In 2017, The Jockey Club revoked the stud book privileges for him and a handful of other trainers with repeated violations. There are 125 records relating to violations for Vazquez in the database ThoroughbredRulings.com dating back to 2006, although it is important to note that some violations generate multiple records in this database if stewards issue subsequent rulings rescinding or modifying previous ones.
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium in 2017 issued an advisory on levamisole, which can be found in dewormers used for cattle, pigs and sheep.
Vazquez has 10 days from the date of the ruling to appeal the commission's actions.
The post Juan Vazquez To Sit Out For A Month, Two Of His Runners Suspended 90 Days Over Levamisole Positives appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
