Weekly Stewards And Commissions Rulings, June 27-July 3

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky.

Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where.

The TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from the same week. These will include decisions from around the country.

New York
Track: Belmont Park
Date: 06/27/2023
Licensee: Manuel Franco, jockey
Penalty: Three-day suspension
Violation: Careless riding
Explainer: For having waived his right to an appeal Jockey Mr. Manuel Franco is hereby suspended (3) NYRA racing days July 7th 2023, July 8th 2023, July 9th 2023 inclusive. This for careless riding during the running of the second race at Belmont Park on June 22nd 2023.

NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS
The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit's “pending” and “resolved” cases portals.
This does not include the voided claim rulings which were sent to the TDN directly. Some of these rulings are from prior weeks as they were not reported contemporaneously.
One important note: HISA's whip use limit is restricted to six strikes during a race.

Violations of Crop Rule
Belterra Park
William Vernon Bush – violation date June 29; $500 fine and one-day suspension, 13 strikes

Los Alamitos
Tiago Pereira – violation date June 25; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes
Abel Cedillo – violation date July 1; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes
Erick Garcia – violation date July 1; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes
Cesar Ortega – violation date July 2; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes
Edgar Payeras – violation date July 2; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Pending ADMC Violations
Date: 06/09/2023
Licensee: Douglas Nunn, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged violation: Intra-articular Injection violation
Explainer: For the use of an intra-articular injection on Smithwick's Spice, who won at Delaware Park on 6/9/23, within 14 days prior to Post-Time. This is a possible violation of Rule 3313—Use of a Controlled Medication Method in relation to a Covered Horse during the Race Period. This is also a possible violation of Rule 4222—Intra-articular Injection within 14 days prior to Post-Time.

Date: 06/04/2023
Licensee: McLean Robertson, trainer
Penalty: Provisional suspension
Alleged violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Altrenogest—a banned substance—in a sample taken from Johnny Up, who won at Canterbury Park on 6/4/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3212—Presence of a Banned Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers.
Read more on the story here.

Date: 06/01/2023
Licensee: Jonathon Wong, trainer
Penalty: Provisional suspension
Alleged violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Metformin—a banned substance—in a sample taken from Heaven and Earth, who won at Horseshoe Indianapolis on 6/1/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3212—Presence of a Banned Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers.
Read more on the story here.

Date: 05/28/2023
Licensee: Ricardo Legall, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged violation: Medication violations
Explainer: For the presence of Levamisole—Controlled Medication (Class B)—in a sample taken from Merchants of Cool, who finished fifth at Belmont Park on 5/28/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312—Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers.
For the presence of Dimethylsulfoxide—Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a sample taken from Merchants of Cool, who finished fifth at Belmont Park on 5/28/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312—Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers.

Date: 05/28/2023
Licensee: Ray Handal, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Zeranol—a banned substance—in a sample taken from Barrage, who finished second at Belmont Park on 5/28/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3212—Presence of a Banned Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers. Pursuant to ADMC Program Rule 3247(e), HIWU has lifted the Provisional Suspension based upon information submitted by the Covered Person and the review of relevant scientific information. The Equine Anti-Doping Notice has not been withdrawn.
Read more on the story here.

The post Weekly Stewards And Commissions Rulings, June 27-July 3 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Nunn’s Attorney Charges HISA With Hypocrisy In Dealing With Intra-Articular Injections

Attorney Drew Mollica understands that his client trainer Doug Nunn violated Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) Rule 3313, which prohibits trainers from running a horse within 14 days of an intra-articular joint injection or working them within seven days of the injection. What he doesn't understand is why his client has been suspended while at least 15 other trainers have been let off the hook for the same violation.

“This is the height of hypocrisy,” Mollica said. “He has been victimized by a system that is flawed.”

On June 26, HISA announced that it had temporarily suspended full enforcement of its intra-articular joint infection rules and that the rule covering workouts would not go into effect until July 15. According to HISA Chief Executive Lisa Lazarus, between 15 and 20 trainers had breached the rule surrounding intra-articular joint injections prior to a workout. Lazarus said the delay in implementing the rule was needed because there was confusion among trainers regarding the specifics of the rule.

“On the workout side, while it was mentioned in the education process, it seems that a lot of trainers just really didn't understand it, and most of the violations we saw were only off by one day,” she said. She added that the temporary modification of enforcement of the rules was deemed the most “fair and equitable” way to proceed “given the number of violations.”

Alexa Ravit, the director of communications and outreach for the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), confirmed in an email to the TDN that Nunn's penalty was not excused because the injection was too close to a race while the other offenders were too close to a workout.

Monmouth Park Racetrack | Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO

According to Mollica, the horse in question, Smithwick's Spice (Frost Giant), was injected 12 days before racing on June 9 in an allowance race at Delaware Park, which the gelding won by three-quarters of a length. That, he argued, is less egregious than working a horse within seven days of an injection.

“The people who made the mistake of working within seven days put more stress on their horses than he did in the 12 days between the injection and racing,” he said. “The racing-versus-the-work argument is not logical because his horse had more time to recover.”

Mollica also said that if HISA had been doing its job the entry of the horse would not have been allowed.

“Doug Nunn's horse had an injection and it was reported on the horse's portal on May 31,” he said. “Everyone knew about it. HISA was supposed to now flag his entry. The horse was supposed to be ineligible to race. But they, maybe because of confusion, didn't do it. Doug Nunn was confused about the rules and didn't talk to his vet and didn't coordinate things properly. He entered the horse. The overnight was out eight days before the race. HISA never said 'Wait a minute, Doug, your horse isn't eligible.' They let him run on June 9. He wins on June 9. There was confusion as to what he was supposed to do. But Doug Nunn, as opposed to, fill in the blanks, the trainers who they let off, was treated differently. Those guys got a pass. That's not America to me.”

Mollica said that if possible confusion about the rules was the reason why trainers who violated the workout provision of the rule weren't suspended then there's no reason why the same argument shouldn't apply to racing a horse in violation of the rule.

“In this situation, there obviously was confusion,” he said. “How do I know? Because HISA themselves dropped the ball. Delaware Park was confused. HISA was confused. Doug was confused. Why is his any confusion any different than their confusion?”

Mollica also wants to know what trainers violated the workout rule. Although any possible suspensions were waived, their horses were ineligible to race within 30 days of the injection, which Mollica, argues, should make the names of those horses a matter of public record. He pointed to the June 29 story in the TDN in which Lazarus implied that the names of those horses would be released.

“When horses are suspended, you'll be able to figure that out,” Lazarus said at the time, pointing to HIWU's “public disclosures” webpage.

However, the names have not been disclosed and a request to HIWU by the TDN to release the names of the horses involved was denied.

Monmouth Park First Turn | Sarah Andrew

“Since the trainers were not Provisionally Suspended and Charge Letters were not issued to them because they only received a warning (as per HISA's notice), HIWU will not be publishing the names of the horses currently facing a 30-day period of Ineligibility due to breezing too soon after an IA injection,” Ravit wrote to the TDN in an e-mail. “For IA-related matters after July 15, the names of both the trainers and the horses will be published once a Charge Letter is issued to the trainer.”

But HISA's own rule 3620 makes it clear that public disclosure is required. It reads: Rule 3620. Public Disclosure
(a) The Agency shall Publicly Disclose the resolution of an alleged violation of the Protocol no later than 20 calendar days after:
(1) the final decision;
(2) a resolution between the Agency and the Covered Person; or
(3) the withdrawal of a charge or a final decision finding of no violation

Why won't HISA/HIWU release the names of the horses that worked within the seven-day period, even though their own rules say they must? Mollica said he didn't want to speculate but he was quick to fault them for a lack of transparency.

“My problem is the lack of transparency and the lack of fairness,” he said. “What's good for the rich and famous trainers should be good for Doug Nunn. The lack of transparency shows because Lisa Lazarus said you'll know the names of those trainers when we publish the names of the suspended horses. Now we understand they are not going to release the names of those horses. Meanwhile, Doug was publicly villainized with his ruling up there on their website, yet we don't even know who these people who were given a pass are. So tell us. Transparency is the greatest disinfectant. We obviously have an infection. Why are we not disinfecting it?”

Nunn's violation can yield a suspension of up to 60 days but Mollica said he has reached an agreement with HISA and HIWU and that his client will receive a 30-day suspension. The situation has left him asking a lot of questions and he doesn't have all the answers, but he believes that Nunn was treated differently because he's a small-time trainer. Based at Monmouth Park, he's won six races this year from 59 starters and has 305 career victories.

“If you are going to start opening up loopholes, you can't open up loopholes for some and not for others,” Mollica said. “Doug Nunn is a victim of being a small guy in a big world. I do think he's being treated differently, like a lot of little guys are. This is stacked against the little guy. They excoriated Nunn and let others off and they won't even tell us who they are.”

The post Nunn’s Attorney Charges HISA With Hypocrisy In Dealing With Intra-Articular Injections appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Up-And-Coming Young Trainer Jesse Cruz Benefits From ‘Old-School’ Methodology

Like a lot of kids who grew up on the racetrack, Jesus “Jesse” Cruz hoped to become a jockey. But long after he outgrew that king-sized dream, he continued to forge relationships with horses.

When a homebred named Help a Brother arrived in the barn of his stepfather, Lewis Craig, Jr., at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in 2012, 18-year-old Jesse felt like he'd been handed the keys to a Mercedes.

Help a Brother was one of the best horses to come out of West Virginia, where he made all 49 of his career starts (39 at Charles Town and 10 at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort). He won 15 times, including two editions of the West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Onion Juice Breeders Classic Stakes, while earning almost $400,000.

“You develop a real connection with horses that you gallop,” says Cruz, 28, in his first season training at Tampa Bay Downs. “I got on Help a Brother every day my junior and senior year before school, and he was like my best friend.

“I got to be really close to that horse. You learn their quirks when you gallop them, who they are, and you get to watch them grow up. You get to sense what they're thinking. You can almost feel the light bulb go on when they realize 'Oh, we're not just horses. We're racehorses.'”

Cruz, who took out his trainer's license in 2017, has made a splash at the Oldsmar oval, with four victories, two seconds and two thirds from 14 starts. Training primarily for the Wasabi Ventures Stables of TK Kuegler and his wife Michele, Cruz has also been active at the claims box, with eight acquired, all for Wasabi Ventures Stables.

His fast start at Tampa Bay Downs comes on the heels of a strong meet at Monmouth Park, where he won seven races from 23 starts.

“I see a lot of promise in Jesse,” said TK Kuegler, a venture capitalist with strings of horses at Tampa Bay Downs, Oaklawn Park, Delta Downs and Penn National. “I wanted a young trainer who is hands-on, honest and hard-working, and that is Jesse in a nutshell.”

At Tampa Bay Downs, Cruz and his assistant and girlfriend, Grace Smith, oversee his 18-horse barn. A former assistant to trainer Douglas Nunn, Smith has an extensive background as an equestrian, having shown horses up and down the East Coast from age 10, competed as a collegian and given lessons to youth equestrians.

Smith exhibits the same passion shown by Cruz and the Kueglers for racing.

“My first day working for Doug Nunn, I showed up at the barn at 4 a.m. and by 5 a.m., I was hooked,” she said. “There is always something going on, always something to do. I was like, 'OK, I'm ready to do this forever.' ”

“Grace has been a lifesaver for me,” Cruz said. “She does so many things I used to do – running the feed cart, giving horses medication, helping the vets treat our horses. She rides the pony with every set in the morning. To be successful at this is a 24/7 kind of job, 365 days a year, and you have to put the horses first. For Grace to understand that and be a part of it – and be able to deal with me – is a big reason our relationship works.”

“Wanting to come to work every day, that's a big thing that draws us together,” Smith said. “We're excited to get to the barn, and being able to do this together is special. I think Jesse is old-school in his ways and his training, and we both care about the horses first and foremost.”

Cruz is quick to credit the numerous influences that have made him one of the Oldsmar oval's most promising young trainers. None had a greater impact than his mother, Daisy Tobin, who was an assistant to legendary West Virginia trainer James Casey for 26 years before she “retired” in 2016 (Tobin still helps her husband, Lewis Craig, Jr., at his barn).

Jesse and his older sister, Elizabeth, spent much of their childhood at Casey's barn after Tobin and their biological father, jockey Alejandro Cruz, split up (Jesse really doesn't remember Alejandro Cruz, considering Craig as his dad). As a single mom, Tobin worked long hours to support her children, getting along day by day.

At different stages of his youth, Tobin would have bet big money against Jesse following her to the racetrack.

“I remember when he was 7, before I had met Lewis. Jesse didn't want to get out of the car one morning and help feed the horses because it was raining,” Tobin said. “He said 'That's not my job, it's yours.' I told him, 'Well, I'm putting food on the table for you guys, and this has got to be taken care of.' I think he realized then what he had said and why it was important,” Tobin said.

As teenagers, Jesse and Elizabeth helped around Casey's barn to earn money to go to the beach, but Tobin still didn't see the spark her son needed to make a living with horses. That changed in 2008, when Casey began training a West Virginia-bred gelding named Russell Road for owner Mark E. Russell.

Russell Road competed through nine seasons, going 31-for-62 with 22 stakes victories and $2-million-plus in earnings. With each major accomplishment, Jesse's eyes opened wider – not just to the horse's excellence, but to his mother's role in his career.

“Really, up until then, I would rather be playing baseball or football or wrestling than be around the barn,” Cruz recalled. “Then Russell Road won six or seven in a row, and it made me realize what the end goal was – to be around horses like that. He made me fall in love with the sport, and I saw what drove people to find the next big horse.”

While Russell Road was a life-changer for Tobin, she was uplifted by Jesse's growing excitement and newfound dedication to working in the barn. Once, when he was 16 and having trouble walking Russell Road around the shedrow, Tobin heard Jesse call to her for help – a sign that he knew how important the job was.

“That horse was a handful for me even to walk sometimes,” she said.

But Jesse, he no longer was such a handful. When congratulatory calls flooded Tobin's phone after Russell Road's second victory in the $500,000 West Virginia Breeders' Classic, in the fall of 2011, one in particular stood out.

“It was Jesse telling me how much he loved me and how great a horse person I was. He said he wanted to follow in my footsteps and said how proud he was to be seen as my son,” said Tobin, who has saved the message. “I think I groomed more stakes winners than anyone at Charles Town through working with Mr. Casey over the years, and that message meant more to me because I could see Jesse wanted to work with horses and be successful.”

Those who know Tobin marvel at her work ethic, seeing it reflected in Cruz's approach to training.

“When we raced at Charles Town, she would come to our barn every morning to do stalls, put the horses' legs in ice and anything else that needed doing,” said Smith. “I think she is the hardest-working person I've met.”

[Story Continues Below]

“Jesse wants to be better every single day, and I think that comes from his mom,” Michele Kuegler said. She was amazed to see Tobin, Elizabeth and Jesse's niece and nephews show up one summer day at Monmouth Park, a drive of about 5 hours, to cheer on Jesse's horses.

Despite growing up around the likes of Russell Road and Help a Brother, Cruz learned early that racing is rarely as glamorous as often portrayed, especially at tracks such as Charles Town where claiming horses make up the majority of the card and the winters can be brutal.

“Our mom taught us one lesson very early – nothing in life is going to be handed to you, but you can get whatever you want out of it as long as you go work for it,” he said. “She kind of sacrificed her life so we could have ours. She worked from sunup until sundown, because that's what it takes. You have to put in the care and the time and the passion you have, and if you do that you'll get the same back. If you don't, you are kind of going through the motions.”

Cruz's awakening led to a job galloping horses for Charles Town trainer Ollie Figgins, III, a family friend who recognized the teenager's desire to absorb more knowledge and make a life for himself on the track. After learning the basics from his parents, Cruz welcomed the chance to expand his continuing education with the widely-respected conditioner.

“He was the person who taught me how to put everything together,” Cruz said. “He had 30 horses, and I saw how he was able to mix things up for each horse and treat them as individuals. I was like the annoying kid who asked a billion questions, but he always took the time to give me the answers. That's when I realized I wanted to be a trainer.”

Cruz worked for Figgins when the trainer developed Susan Wantz's sprint filly Dance to Bristol, a stakes winner at 2 and 3 whose career took off in 2013 as a 4-year-old. Dance to Bristol strung together seven consecutive victories, including the Grade 3 Bed o' Roses Handicap at Belmont and the G2 Honorable Miss Handicap and Grade I Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga. As part of her traveling entourage, Cruz discovered a Technicolor world beyond the day-to-day sameness of Charles Town.

“To that point, I'd been around good horses. Russell Road was a really good horse I'd been around, and Ollie had trained good stakes horses,” Cruz said. “But 'Bristol' was the first graded horse I'd been around.

“When you get to those levels, you realize that is what racing is meant to be. At the end of the day, the $5,000 claiming horses make up our sport, but the graded races are the Mecca of all of it. To get a horse like that, it's what we all wake up and strive for.”

Dance to Bristol made it to Santa Anita for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, and although she finished sixth, the experience was another dream-come-true for Cruz. It was his first airplane trip, and galloping the filly surrounded by so many outstanding horses whetted his appetite for more. That would come over the next few summers, when Cruz returned to Saratoga to work horses for trainers Bill Mott, Mike Maker and Joe Sharp.

“I met Neil Poznansky, who was working for Mr. Mott, and gave him my number,” Cruz said. “He called me that spring and said they needed an exercise rider. Ollie never held me back, so I got to work for those guys. To get to that stage and ride horses like that. … it's kind of hard to describe.”

Make no mistake: Jesse Cruz is a man in a hurry. He knows firsthand the patience needed to succeed in his craft, but is eager to prove he can compete against the best of them with the right stock.

After taking his trainer's test on Dec. 31, 2016, Cruz won with the first horse he saddled the following April at Laurel, a 3-year-old gelding named Maryland's Best owned by Javier Contreras and ridden by Cruz's good friend, Lane Luzzi.

Cruz won only two races from his next 41 starters to close out 2017, but his confidence wasn't shaken. He knew he needed better horses to climb the ladder. Kuegler – whose primary business involves investing expertise and capital into early-stage companies with an eye toward growing them into larger, more profitable ventures – saw Cruz as an ideal fit for what he and Michele want to accomplish in racing.

“His story is one you hear with a lot of racetrackers,” Kuegler said. “He grew up on the backside of Charles Town, and that is what his parents' lives are to this day. I don't think he ever thought he was going to do anything else. There isn't anything he can't do or won't do, and if someone can do everything in a business, you have somebody who has the potential to be great.”

The majority of horses Cruz claims for Wasabi Ventures Stables come on initial recommendations from Kuegler, who watches as many as 100 race replays daily from around the country. “Once I recommend one, it becomes collaborative,” Kuegler said. “Claiming is all about having a plan, because you're claiming them for the next race and beyond. What does this horse look like one or two or three races from now?

“That's where Jesse really comes in. He'll look at a horse and say 'This is something we can physically change,' or he'll look at changing the distance or the surface or how the horse is trained in an effort to improve its performance.”

Both men subscribe to the philosophy that speed figures don't lie, but there is often much more that goes into their decision to claim a horse.

“Every trainer has patterns, so when you see someone who typically doesn't run horses for a claiming price, that is kind of a question mark,” Cruz said. “You might want to watch it run once before you decide to claim it. You also like to watch them walk over (before the race) and make sure everything is right with their legs before you drop the claim slip.”

Cruz's stable has been performing consistently well since the meet began in late November. Magical Mousse, a (now)-3-year-old colt bred by Wasabi Ventures Stables in partnership, ran a decent fourth in the Inaugural Stakes on Dec. 4, five weeks after breaking his maiden in impressive fashion at Delaware Park, and is nominated for the $125,000 Pasco Stakes on Jan. 15.

The 3-year-old filly Lap of Luxury is 2-for-2 at the meet, including a starter/optional claiming victory on the turf under jockey Isaac Castillo on Dec. 23 at odds of 23-1. Why Not Tonight, a 4-year-old filly, won a $27,000 turf allowance by 7 ¾ lengths on Nov. 27. Hard-knocking 6-year-old mare C'Est Mardi won a claiming race on Nov. 26 and was beaten two necks for the top prize on Jan. 1 in the first leg of the Tampa Turf Test.

Wasabi Ventures Stables' ownership model invites individuals to purchase anywhere between .5-to-4.5 percent of a horse, with no additional charges or ongoing bills. Wasabi keeps a 20-percent share of each horse; the other members of the syndicate share in the winnings.

“If a horse doesn't earn back (its purchase price), we eat the losses,” TK explained.

Winning races is what keeps any stable afloat, but Cruz, Smith and the Kueglers are determined to keep the welfare of all their horses paramount. Michele Kuegler, who is Wasabi's director of aftercare and community, keeps the 1,000-plus Wasabi Ventures Stables club members apprised of their efforts to find new homes and vocations for their retired horses.

Down the road, Cruz hopes to build his stable into one capable of competing in the kind of races that first brought him so many thrills when his mother worked for James Casey. His alliance with Wasabi Ventures Stables has both headed in the right direction.

“TK wants to be known in the industry as a good owner and a person who is going to compete in big races,” Cruz said. “This (racing at Tampa Bay Downs) is the next step in trying to get to that level. This is a racetrack a lot of people notice, and it's tough racing, so to be winning against good trainers with nice stock means a lot.”

The post Up-And-Coming Young Trainer Jesse Cruz Benefits From ‘Old-School’ Methodology appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Regulatory Roundup: Jose Delgado, Saffie Joseph Jr., Douglas Nunn, Mario Serey Jr. Sanctioned

Regulators in New Jersey and Maryland have issued a number of rulings in recent months for medication violations involving trainers Jose H. Delgado, Douglas Nunn, Saffie Joseph Jr., and Mario Serey Jr.

Two horses were disqualified from stakes wins for medication violations.

The Critical Way's victory in the June 19 Get Serious Stakes at Monmouth Park was taken away after the 7-year-old gelding tested positive for levamisole. Trainer Jose H. Delgado was given a 15-day suspension from Oct. 11-Oct. 25 and he was fined $500.

The Critical Way, who went on to win two subsequent stakes, including the Grade 3 Parx Dash on Aug. 31, is owned by Randal Gindi's Monster Racing Stables. Gindi in 2017 was fined $5,000 for “conduct detrimental to racing” in connection with a cell phone video in which he Jorge Navarro, his trainer at the time, could be heard joking about giving “juice” to horses and Gindi said he bet on them through a bookmaker Navarro recently pleaded guilty to federal charges of drug adulteration and misbranding.

Delgado was suspended an additional 15 days, from Sept. 26-Oct. 10 and fined $500 for a second incident in New Jersey when Glory Roll tested positive for an overage of phenylbutazone in a post-race sample from a June 13 race in which the mare finished fifth as the 3-2 favorite. Glory Roll is owned by Carole Star Stable.

Trainer Douglas Nunn was suspended 15 days from Oct. 16-30 and fined $500 after Team Effort tested positive for flunixin following a second-place finish in a May 31 Monmouth Park race.Team Effort, owned by Winner Circle Stables LLC, was disqualified from purse money in the race. The horse is entered to race Oct. 15 at Meadowlands with David Nunn as trainer.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. was fined $1,000 and the horse Wind of Change was disqualified from his victory at Monmouth Park in the Mr. Prospector Stakes on May 29 after testing positive for aminocaproic acid (better known as Amicar), an adjunct bleeder medication. Wind of Change is owned by Daniel Alonso.

The sanctions against Delgado,  Joseph and Nunn were first reported by Bloodhorse.com.

Earlier this year, trainer Mario Serey Jr. was sanctioned in Maryland for two clenbuterol violations. Amen Corner, second in a May 20 race at Pimlico, was disqualified and placed last after testing positive for the bronchodilator. Family Fortune was disqualified from a May 21 win at Pimlico. Serey owns Amen Corner, while Family Fortune is owned by K12 LLC.

For both violations, Serey was fined $500. He received a 15-day suspension that was stayed, provided he does not pick up another Class 3 violation within a 365-day period. Serey served a 165-day suspension in 2019 after receiving a number of clenbuterol positives in Pennsylvania.

All of the positive tests were reported by Industrial Laboratories of Wheat Ridge, Colo. Industrial replaced Truesdail Laboratories of Irvine, Calif.,  as the official testing lab in a number of states over the past year, including New Jersey and Maryland.

The post Regulatory Roundup: Jose Delgado, Saffie Joseph Jr., Douglas Nunn, Mario Serey Jr. Sanctioned appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights