Oklahoma Horse Commission | Horse Racing Free Tips

Ron Walker has been named The Jockey Club steward for Finger Lakes Racetrack and will take the place of Samantha Randazzo, who was appointed as The Jockey Club steward for The New York Racing Association tracks. Walker has been involved with horse racing since 1981 and has been an owner, breeder, trainer, and racing official. Prior to becoming steward at Finger Lakes, he was the state steward for the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission, spent nine years as the presiding steward for the New Mexico Racing Commission and also worked as a steward at Mahoning Valley Race Course and at Calder. He is Racing Officials Accreditation Program certified.

“Ron's many years of experience in the racing industry make him an excellent candidate to fill the role of steward at Finger Lakes,” said Stuart S. Janney III, chairman of The Jockey Club.

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For the third time as many days this week, the nation’s third-leading trainer by wins for 2020 has been fined and had a winner disqualified for a Class 4 drug positive.

According to a Sept. 2 ruling issued by the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission, the Robertino Diodoro-trained Erebuni (Ministers Wild Cat) came up positive for dexamethasone in post-race serum testing after winning the 10th race at Will Rogers Downs May 4. The race was a $5,000 NW4L claimer in which the mare was favored at 19-10 odds.

Dexamethasone is an anti-inflammatory listed as a Class 4/Penalty Category C prohibited substance on the Association of Racing Commissioners International’s uniform classification guidelines for foreign substances.

According to the ruling, Diodoro declined the opportunity to have a split sample tested, waived his right to a hearing, and pled “no contest.”

In addition to owner Empire Racing Stables, LLC, (Jason Bullard) losing the $4,614 winning purse for Erebuni’s DQ, Diodoro was fined $1,000.

Erebuni has started and lost three consecutive races since that May 4 win, shipping most recently to Evangeline Downs in Louisiana. But the ruling states that the mare must now work out and be examined by a commission veterinarian (at the owner and/or trainer’s expense) before being allowed to race again.

On Aug. 31, Diodoro had two winners and a fifth-place horse disqualified from Oaklawn Park races via rulings that cited prohibited use of two different Class 4 substances. Diodoro was separately fined $3,500 for failing to meet the “absolute insurer” requirements of a trainer licensed by the Arkansas State Racing Commission.

The post Diodoro has Third Winner This Week DQ’d for Drug Positive appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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