Attempt To Mask Lameness Results In ‘Inhumane Treatment’ Penalties

The Delaware Park stewards have suspended and fined an owner, trainer and assistant trainer for “improper or inhumane treatment” of a horse diagnosed last spring with a 50% tendon tear.

Four related Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission (DTRC) rulings in the case involve a gelding named Food and Wine (War Front) who was disqualified from a June win because of a drug overage.

After returning sore from that victory because of a bowed tendon that a veterinarian said required eight to 12 months off, Food and Wine was put back into training in September and purportedly drugged in an attempt to mask lameness and get the gelding off the restricted list.

But instead of being cleared to race based on that supervised workout, Food and Wine again pulled up lame.

According to the rulings, a veterinarian then reported the series of incidents to the stewards.

As a result, after appearing at an Oct. 15 stewards' hearing and waiving his right to counsel, owner Jose Luis Rosales, 37, has been fined $2,500 and suspended 30 days.

Trainer Linda Manchio, 76, who did not appear at her hearing, has been fined $2,500 and suspended 30 days. The Oct. 15 DMTC ruling against her stated that she has not been to Delaware Park all year despite stabling and starting horses there.

Assistant trainer Belinda Manchio, 58, whom the Delaware Park stewards deemed to have been the licensee in charge of the day-to-day care for Food and Wine, attended her hearing, waived her right to counsel and was fined $1,000 and suspended 15 days.

TDN could not immediately reach Rosales or either of the Manchios for comment. It was unclear if appeals were in the process.

Here's how the allegations unfolded according to the four DTRC rulings (three dated Oct. 15 and one from Aug. 5):

Five-year-old Food and Wine, with a 2-for-15 record, wired a June 2 turf allowance at Delaware Park. At one point in the race, the 14-1 shot opened up a 10-length lead under jockey Tomas Mejia (who has since been suspended 10 years by New Jersey regulators for using an electrical shocking device in a race at Monmouth Park).

But after Food and Wine coasted home by four lengths at the wire, he “returned sore and was placed on the State Veterinarians List,” three of the Oct. 15 DTRC rulings stated.

Then, according to the rulings, on June 14, “the Practicing Veterinarian performed an Ultrasound on Food and Wine [that] reveled a 50% tear in his tendon (Bowed Tendon). The Veterinarian recommended 8 to 12 months off to recover.”

Subsequently, on Aug. 5, the stewards ruled that Food and Wine had tested positive for an overage of methocarbamol, a Class 4 and Penalty Category C skeletal muscle relaxant, after his June 2 win. Linda Manchio waived her right to have a split sample tested. Food and Wine was DQ'd from the win and Linda Manchio was fined $1,000.

Meanwhile, instead of getting the time away from the track that the practicing veterinarian had recommended, Food and Wine was instead placed back into training. He breezed three furlongs in :38 at Delaware Park on Sept. 25.

One of the DTRC rulings states that the gelding's owner, Jose Luis Rosales, “contacted the State Veterinarian to schedule a breeze in order for Food and Wine to be removed from the Vets List and be eligible to race.”

That workout was scheduled for Oct. 3. According to the ruling, “Food and Wine worked a half-mile in :50.60 and pulled up lame. Food and Wine remained on the Vets List.”

After the stewards began investigating, it was revealed in the ruling that, “Food and Wine was treated in August with Prednisolone Pills and Naquasone Powder. Owner Jose Luis Rosales ordered the treatment of Naquasone on Sept. 27 and an injection of Dexamethasone on Sept. 27 and 28 [in the] days prior to Food and Wine's workout.”

The ruling continued: “Stewards determined that the ordered treatment[s] by Mr. Rosales for Food and Wine were to take away any lameness so that Food and Wine could work and be removed from the Vets List to race.”

One of the Oct. 15 rulings noted that “Trainer Linda Manchio shall bear primary responsibility for the proper care, health, training, condition, safety and protection of horses in her charge.”

The ruling also stated that, “During testimony in this matter, Trainer Linda Manchio has not been to Delaware Park in 2021, her stable has been in the care of her Assistant Trainer Belinda Manchio. Linda Manchio did not follow the recommendation of her Practicing Veterinarian for Food and Wine.”

Belinda Manchio's ruling stated that the stewards determined she “shall assume the same duties and responsibilities as imposed on a registered Trainer” for the “proper care, health, training, condition, safety and protection of horses in her charge.” The ruling noted that she, too, “did not follow the recommendation of her Practicing Veterinarian.”

All three Oct. 15 rulings stated that the conduct of the suspended licensees “does adversely affect the public's confidence in the reputation of Thoroughbred racing in Delaware and is not in the best interest of horse racing.”

As an owner, Rosales has five wins from 29 lifetime starters dating to 2019.

Linda Manchio's record on Equibase dates to 1976, the oldest year available for training stats in that database. She has 192 wins from 2,254 starters during that time, but had no starters between 2003 and 2020. There are no other rulings listed against her in The Jockey Club's rulings database.Att

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Delaware Stewards Uphold Summary Suspension For Cobb; Disciplinary Hearing Pending

Delaware stewards have upheld their summary suspension of trainer Amber Cobb, pending a disciplinary hearing. An updated ruling in the case published Sept. 15 indicated that the stewards had conducted a hearing with Cobb and determined “that Amber Cobb's conduct would be in any direct or indirect way detrimental to the maintenance and promotions of high standards for honesty, integrity and propriety in Thoroughbred racing conducted in Delaware.” This means Cobb will be suspended until a disciplinary hearing is held and stewards can issue sanctions based on a current investigation into the trainer's operation.

There is no date scheduled yet for the disciplinary hearing, during which stewards will examine the evidence that led them to cite her for a lengthy list of rule violations. A Sept. 10 ruling did not describe specific actions by Cobb that prompted the summary suspension but did cite rules against possession of a hypodermic needle or syringe, cruelty, failure to comply with orders or rulings of racing officials, employment or harboring of unauthorized persons, and more.

See the full list of rules cited by the stewards here.

This action by Delaware stewards appears to be separate from the animal cruelty case that originally prompted them to suspend Cobb's license for two years this summer. That suspension was reduced by the racing commission to 60 days after Cobb appealed.

That 60-day suspension would have ended Sept. 20, allowing Cobb to return to training next week if not for the summary suspension.

The post Delaware Stewards Uphold Summary Suspension For Cobb; Disciplinary Hearing Pending appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Delaware Stewards Issue Summary Suspension Against Cobb, Alleging A Host Of Rule Violations

On Sept. 10, Delaware stewards summarily suspended embattled trainer Amber Cobb, citing a lengthy list of violations of Delaware regulations. Per Delaware rules, summarily suspended licensees have three racing days in which to appeal the summary suspension; a hearing held during this time would deal only with whether the summary suspension will be ongoing, pending a disciplinary hearing to deal with evidence of rules violations. A disciplinary hearing would follow separately.

Cobb came under scrutiny this summer, when a former employee filmed two incidents between Cobb and a young filly on a training center in New Jersey and brought the video to Delaware stewards as evidence of improper or inhumane treatment of a horse in violation of Delaware rules. Stewards handed Cobb a two-year suspension for the incident, and Cobb appealed that ruling. Her suspension was later reduced to 60 days by the members of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission.

Read more about that appeal hearing, and see a video of the incident in question here.

The 60-day suspension issued by the commission is scheduled to end Sept. 20.

Below is the text of the Sept. 10 ruling, listing the rules the stewards allege she has violated. Cobb is denied access to commission grounds, pending a hearing on the summary suspension.

2.5.1.20. Past or contemplated conduct or utterance which, does or may adversely affect, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and whether in fact or only seemingly, the public's confidence in the reputation Thoroughbred racing heretofore has enjoyed in Delaware for stringent adherence to uncompromising standards of honesty, integrity and propriety.

18.3.1. Based upon the report and advice of the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau premised upon its investigation and/or information available to it from governmental or other investigative sources or, based upon their own investigation and determination, either the Commission, the Stewards or the Licensee may bar or eject any person, permanently or for a lesser period, from Licensee's grounds or any part thereof who, by reason of his or her past or contemplated conduct or associations is, or would be, in any direct or indirect way detrimental to the continued maintenance and promotion of high standards for honesty, integrity and propriety in all Thoroughbred racing conducted in Delaware.

2.5.1.22 Drug addiction, public drunkenness, financial irresponsibility or failure to pay debts when due, bad moral character, intemperate habits, bad reputation for honesty, truth and veracity, past instance of lying, cheating, or stealing, or involvement in a subject of public notice as involved in any activity which, would be inconsistent with the best interests of racing by reflection on the honesty and integrity of the sport of racing, or association with persons so characterized.

2.5 Grounds for Refusal, Suspension, or Revocation of a Permit.

2.5.1 The Commission in its discretion, may refuse to register or to issue an authorization or permit to an applicant, or may suspend or revoke a registration, permit, or authorization previously issued, or order disciplinary measures, on the following grounds.

2.5.1.1 Denial of a license, permit, authorization or registration to an applicant, or suspension or revocation of such, in another racing jurisdiction at any previous time.

2.5.1.4 Failure to comply with any order or ruling of the Commission, Stewards, or Racing Official pertaining to a racing matter.

2.5.1.8 Intoxication, use of profanity, fighting, or any conduct of a disorderly nature, on Licensee's grounds.

2.5.1.9 Employment or harboring of unauthorized persons required by these Rules to register or have a permit or authorization.

2.5.1.12 Possession on Licensee's grounds by a person other than a licensed Veterinarian of:

2.5.1.12.1 Hypodermic needle, or hypodermic syringe, or other device which could be used to administer any substance to a horse.

2.5.1.14 Cruelty to a horse or neglect of a horse entrusted to a permittee's care.

7.3 Duties and Responsibilities:

7.3.1 A registered Trainer shall bear primary responsibility for the proper care, health, training, condition, safety and protection against administration of prohibited drugs or medication of horses in his charge.

 

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The Friday Show Presented By Monmouth Park: Disgust In Delaware

When the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission reduced a two-year suspension to just 60 days for trainer Amber Cobb, found by Delaware Park's board of stewards to have “demonstrated cruelty to a horse in her care,” the Paulick Report was besieged with messages of outrage and disgust from a wide array of people in Thoroughbred racing.

“I feel so sick,” one trainer commented after watching the video that accompanied Paulick Report editor-in-chief Natalie Voss' story on the appeals hearing that led to the reduction of Cobb's suspension. “That girl should never, ever be allowed near another horse. … I can't remember watching a video I was more shocked at seeing ever in my life.”

In this week's edition of the Friday Show, Voss joins publisher Ray Paulick to try and explain the unexplainable; namely, why the Delaware racing commissioners refused to support their stewards and reduced Cobb's suspension so dramatically. The commission was led by chairman  W. Duncan Patterson Jr., who praised Cobb during the hearing for being “articulate,” adding, “You were an excellent witness.” Along with the praise for Cobb came criticism from the commission of the whistleblower who took the video and went to the stewards.

Bloodstock editor Joe Nevills joins Paulick to review this week's Woodbine Star of the Week, the 3-year-old Ontario-bred filly Il Malocchio, gutsy winner of last weekend's Bison City Stakes.

Watch this week's show, presented by Monmouth Park, below:

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