According to the Thoroughbred Daily News, the July 2 filing argues that “Ms. Rice is not entitled to a preliminary injunction staying enforcement of the commission's determination. Ms. Rice is not likely to succeed on the merits of any of her claims, and the equities weigh in favor of the commission. Accordingly, the motion for a preliminary injunction should be denied.”

Rice had seen her license revoked officially on June 7, two weeks after the NYSGC voted to uphold a hearing officer's recommendation that Rice's license be revoked with the condition she could not reapply for licensure for at least three years. She had also been ordered to pay a fine of $50,000 and was to be denied all access to New York gaming commission-sanctioned properties.

The County of Schenectady Supreme Court granted a temporary restraining order two days after the New York State Gaming Commission issued the order to revoke her training license, allowing Rice to resume training in New York until her legal appeal is played out in the court system.

Rice is accused of receiving information from the racing office about which horses were entered in which races prior to the official close of entries. The alleged information exchange took place over a period of 2011 and 2014, and the commission first brought a complaint against Rice in 2019. A series of hearing dates took place in late 2020, during which the commission and Rice's attorney presented information to a hearing officer along with numerous volumes of data and interview transcripts.

The July 2 filing states:

“Ms. Rice moves for a preliminary injunction staying enforcement of the commission's penalty for her misconduct. The motion for a preliminary injunction must be denied because Ms. Rice has not shown a likelihood of success on the merits or that the equities weigh in favor of preliminary injunctive relief…

“Because Ms. Rice failed to show a likelihood of success on the merits, the Court need not address the remaining elements. Nevertheless, Ms. Rice also failed to demonstrate that the equities weigh in her favor. Rather, the equities weigh against the granting of a preliminary injunction because of the magnitude of impropriety at issue.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Andrew Turro, Rice's attorney, had argued that without injunctive relief, “Rice's training business, the result of a very successful 34-year career, will be irreversibly destroyed before the court can hear this case and determine Ms. Rice's application for a stay/preliminary injunction.”

Regarding Wednesday's decision, Turro told DRF: “The court's order restores Ms. Rice's ability to get back to racing and training immediately. We also look forward to challenging the commission's order in the court and ultimately vindicating Ms. Rice's rights.”

Licensees in New York are entitled to appeal a finding of a hearing officer to the appropriate court, and it is common for stays of suspensions to be issued while the appeals process plays out.

Rice had seen her license revoked officially on June 7, two weeks after the NYSGC voted to uphold a hearing officer's recommendation that Rice's license be revoked with the condition she could not reapply for licensure for at least three years. She had also been ordered to pay a fine of $50,000 and was to be denied all access to New York gaming commission-sanctioned properties.

Rice is accused of receiving information from the racing office about which horses were entered in which races prior to the official close of entries. The alleged information exchange took place over a period of 2011 and 2014, and the commission first brought a complaint against Rice in 2019. A series of hearing dates took place in late 2020, during which the commission and Rice's attorney presented information to a hearing officer along with numerous volumes of data and interview transcripts.

Read more at the Daily Racing Form.

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The NYSGC first launched an investigation into Rice's operation in early 2018, on the claim that she traded money for information from the racing office. That information, such as which horses were likely to enter races before the race had closed, could have given her a competitive advantage.

The investigation uncovered evidence that between 2011 and 2015, Rice received faxes and emails from former entry clerks Jose Morales and Matt Salvato, giving her the names and past performance records of horses prior to draw time. Senior racing office management has said the names of trainers and horses in a given race are not to be released until after a race is drawn (with stakes races being the exception).

An eight-day hearing was conducted at the end of 2020, and the hearing officer submitted a final report to the NYSGC on April 13, 2021. The report concluded that Rice's misconduct – which involved receiving and requesting confidential entry information in overnight races – was intentional, serious and extensive. It also concludes that her actions constituted improper and corrupt conduct in relation to racing in violation of NYCRR 4042.1 and were inconsistent with and detrimental to the best interests of horse racing.

The hearing officer recommended the Commission impose a fine of $50,000 and immediately revoke her license to participate in thoroughbred horse racing and restricting her ability to apply for a new license for a period of no less than three years.

The Commission concurred with the penalty recommended but modified the Report to specifically reflect that the hearing officer found multiple violations, which under NY Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law Sec. 116 allows for $25,000 per violation.

The Commission voted 5-0 to fine Linda Rice $50,000 and to revoke her license to participate in Thoroughbred horse racing for a period of no less than three years.

Rice has saddled the winners of 2,107 races from 11,382 starters over a career dating back to 1987, according to Equibase. Her top trainees include millionaires La Verdad and Palace, as well as Grade 1 winners Voodoo Song, City Zip, and Tenski.

Also on Monday, the Commission adopted several new medication rules:

• Commissioners voted 5-0 to restrict the administration of race day Lasix to veterinarians “who are not caring for the horses of a trainer or owner who participates at the race meeting,” extending the third-party Lasix rule to the state's Standardbred tracks (it was already in place at Thoroughbred tracks).
• A new clenbuterol rule was adopted requiring approval before a horse can be treated with prescribed clenbuterol, daily submission of administration of clenbuterol treatment, that a treated horse to be placed on the Vet's list, and bars a horse from racing until it tests negative for clenbuterol.
• ARCI modified the model rule thresholds for three drugs (detomidine, omeprazole and xylazine) based on developing research. ARCI also added to the list of thresholds amounts for another four routine therapeutic medications, three of which are antihistamines (cetirizine, cimetidine and ranitidine) and one of which is a muscle relaxant used in anesthetic protocols (guaifensin). The thresholds are consistent with New York's existing restricted time periods. Trainers who comply with such restricted time periods will be assured of not violating such thresholds.

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Logan plied his trade as a shoeshine attendant outside Santa Anita's Racing Office from opening day, Dec. 25, 1934, until just before his passing on Jan. 31, 2009 at the age of 98, a span of nearly 75 years.

His ingratiating personality and quick wit created an instant rapport with horsemen and fans alike, one of the most ardent Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella.

“Eddie was one of a kind,” Mandella said. “He started out by looking after my shoes but we turned out to be great friends.

“I miss him every day when I walk through that hall by the Racing Office and not hear him talking.”

The Eddie Logan: Big Fish, Umberto Rispoli, 4-1; Commander Khai, John Velazquez, 7-2; Barrister Tom, Tyler Baze, 5-1; Beer Can Man, Juan Hernandez, 5-2; Cathkin Peak, Flavien Prat, 5-1; Party Game, Abel; Cedillo, 15-1; and Ebeko, Joel Rosario, 4-1.

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Raised on a dairy farm east of Portland, Ami Atkinson, mother of two daughters, brings a love of racing and innate ability to navigate egos, personalities and daily “issues” that helps to make her a truly irreplaceable person in a work environment that is tasked with presenting the product that drives Santa Anita's core economic engine.

Headquartered in the Santa Anita Racing Office adjacent to Director of Racing and Racing Secretary Chris Merz, Ami agreed to a brief question and answer session this past Wednesday.

Q: You grew up working on your family's dairy farm near Portland. What was that like and how did that experience help you prepare you for a life in racing?

A: I grew up in a little town called Boring, Oregon! I think it taught me the value of hard work and that animals need feed and water no matter how tired or sick you are. My family all worked on the dairy, my dad was a practicing large animal veterinarian at the time, so he would tell us what had to be done and when he got back home it was done. I never thought of it as hard, it was just doing what needed to be done.

Q: You often speak about your parents. Were they interested in racing and how big of an influence have they been in your life?

A: My Dad worked incredibly hard and still does to this day. My parents moved to east Texas a few years ago and he now just has a few feeders and one milk cow, but he still works 400 acres of land. I enjoy visiting them, it is a simple life that is refreshing and satisfying.  My Uncle Dallas, my dad's brother, was the rebel of the family and he loved horses. He had beautiful saddle horses and he trained both cutting horses and race horses, which ran at Portland Meadows. I started punching mutuel tickets there at night for a while, which is how I caught the racing bug.

Q: You worked as a groom and assistant trainer for a period of time about 30 years ago, how did that come about?

A: Well, I was picked up as a free agent groom in Vallejo, California by (trainer) Don and Dee Collins. I had started working for another trainer from Grants Pass and as a starry-eyed kid, when asked if I wanted to go to California, I said “sure.” It turned out, (this trainer) was planning on paying me by teaching me to be a groom. That of course doesn't pay many bills, so I was crying in my tack room when Don Collins rode up on his pony and asked if I wanted a paying job. Don trained Appaloosas on the fairs and then wintered with a few Thoroughbreds in Phoenix. I worked for him for the next seven years. I moved up to ponying horses and eventually became his assistant trainer. Don had close to 50 horses each summer and we based in one place and shipped to the tracks to run.  I hauled horses and helped run the barn. During my time with Don, I got to see the transformation from foal to race horse and all of the time, the people and the steps it takes to make that happen. I have a deep appreciation for all of the people involved in the breeding, development and then training the horse at the track. It takes hours and hours of time, energy and passion to do what they love and to just have that hope “that this is the one.”

Q: In your current role in the Racing Office, you are truly on the “front line” when it comes to interacting with horsemen, owners, track employees and management. From your early morning run before you come in, what's a typical workday like for Ami Atkinson?

A: I enjoy my time on the backside and prior to the COVID era restrictions, I would go around the barn area and deliver programs to the trainers running that day and see if they needed anything. The backside of a racetrack to me is where the real work is done. There is something to be said for getting up before dawn and seeing the barn area come alive. Horses going to the track, people bantering as they work. Then I go to the Racing Office which is like any office, but not like any office. I consider myself very fortunate to have a job I enjoy and a cast of characters to work with that I also enjoy. I wear many hats and I also have a lot of people helping me get everything done. We are a team and a family that put together a racing card, make sure that training and racing go smoothly, attempt to keep everyone happy and getting the service they need is all part of the day. I love it because every day is different, some days are exhausting but every day is an adventure.

Q: Everyone knows there's been a great deal of turmoil in our industry over the past couple of years and Santa Anita has experienced a good deal of it. What keeps you so optimistic and so positive in your interpersonal dealings?

A: I truly believe that happiness is a choice. Some days it is harder to find the silver lining but it is always there. And when things are tough or uncomfortable, a smile and a kind word can't make it worse, so why not?

Q: Your two daughters are a huge part of your life and I know you're very proud of them. Tell us what they're up to and what if any advice you might have for other working Moms in racing.

A: I am very proud of my girls. My oldest, Makenzie, recently graduated USC, the class without a graduation. She is an extremely focused young woman and thanks to COVID, she is working from home currently and I feel like I got the gift of extra time with her. Sarah is a junior at Monrovia High and she enjoys show jumping. She is a gifted rider and I hope that she will get experience a “normal” senior year of high school. I think all working Moms are amazing. It is definitely a balancing act on a narrow beam. It is hard to leave your kids, or miss out on their games or events in their lives, so we make choices. To succeed at work, you have to be there and perform as well. We just hope that they understand that everything we do is to help them to have the best life.

Q: Chris Merz has returned to Santa Anita from Maryland and he's now our Director of Racing and Racing Secretary. Tell us about your relationship and what you envision as we approach opening day.

A: I have known Chris since he started here as Stakes Coordinator a few years ago and it has been a real pleasure to watch him mature into an executive. He came home from Maryland with such a positive attitude and confidence in this program and it was the breath of fresh air we needed. If I sound like a parent, I feel like I am the Racing Office Mom, and I can't wait to see what the New Year brings.

Q: By any estimation, 2020 has been a year like no other. Do you have any New Year's resolutions or suggestions you'd like to share?

A: I think that 2020 has made us all find enjoyment in the little things. Spending time with family, shopping for meals or binging on Netflix. I think everyone handles things differently and I have tried to spend a little extra time touching base with friends. I think a little kindness goes a long way and we could all use a little more of that.

Fans are advised that there will be a special early first post time on opening day, Saturday, December 26, of 11 a.m. Santa Anita's races can be viewed live and free of charge at santaanita.com. Fans can watch and wager at 1ST.com/Bet. For additional information, please visit our santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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On the heels of a recently announced 10% purse increase, the seaside track's extra day will bring the number of race days for its 81st summer season to 27. Originally, 28 racing days had been planned.

The track's racing office has been adding extra races to its regular cards to make up for the lost date as the meet moves through its scheduled Friday through Sunday timetable.

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