The following press release was issued on Friday, Dec. 10, by Carlo Fisco and Darrell Vienna, attorneys for horse owner Mick Ruis and Ruis Racing, who sued the California Horse Racing Board over the regulatory agency's decision not to file a complaint for a medication violation in the case of 2018 Santa Anita Derby winner Justify. The eventual Triple Crown winner was found to have the prohibited drug scopolamine in his system after a post-race sample was tested, but the board voted in executive session to have the matter dropped, with no complaint filed against trainer Bob Baffert and no consideration of a purse disqualification for Justify.
Ruis Racing owned Bolt d'Oro, the Santa Anita Derby runner-up, who would have been in line for the race's $600,000 first-place purse (he earned $200,000 for second).
Press Release:
This morning, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff overruled the CHRB's attempt to have the purse disqualification matter dismissed involving the horse Justify and allowed the matter to go forward. Ruis Racing LLC has alleged that the CHRB's failure to disqualify Justify from the 2018 Santa Anita Derby after testing positive for a prohibited substance was a violation of its own mandatory rules.
Ruis Racing attorneys Carlo Fisco and Darrell Vienna were encouraged by today's decision and look forward to finally bringing this matter to trial. Carlo Fisco stated: “We have a long way to go but are pleased that the court confirmed our client's undeniable claim in pursuing this case. Today was a technical hurdle introduced by the CHRB in attempt to escape its responsibility for the Justify debacle. We remain confident that the trial on this matter will expose the legal improprieties of the former CHRB Board and its former Equine Medical Director as well as the utter refusal by the CHRB Board of Stewards to correct an obvious injustice.”
Trial is expected to occur in mid-2022.
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