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CHRB Dismisses Bisphosphonate Complaint Against Jeff Metz

California Horse Racing Board commissioners (Board) voted during closed session Sept. 15 to dismiss a complaint against trainer Jeff Metz pertaining to a positive test last year for a bisphosphonate in one of the horses in his care, Camino de Estrella.

The Board believed it would be unfair to punish Metz when both testing and investigation revealed that the bisphosphonate administration occurred in 2018, well before Metz ever trained the horse.

The complaint (posted on the CHRB website since December) stated that the Maddy Laboratory at UC Davis detected Tiludronic Acid (Tildren, a bisphosphonate) in the urine sample taken from Camino de Estrella after he finished sixth in the third race at Santa Anita on Sept. 27, 2020. The presence of the Class 1 drug prompted the stewards at Del Mar to later disqualify Camino de Estrella and order the redistribution of the purse. The disqualification remains in force and is not affected by the dismissal of the complaint against Metz.

The Board dismissed the complaint pursuant to Business & Professions Code 19577 (d): “Any recommendation to the board by the executive director to dismiss the matter shall be by mutual agreement with the equine medical director. The authority for the disposition of the matter shall be the responsibility of the board.”

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Maker, Ramsey Settle Civil Suit Over Unpaid Training Bills

Trainer Mike Maker and owner/breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey have agreed to the dismissal of a civil case brought by Maker over unpaid training bills. Fayette Circuit Court Judge Julie Goodman entered the order dismissing the case with prejudice on Sept. 15 “pursuant to a settlement.”

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Maker had brought suit in March against the Eclipse Award-winning couple in March, claiming the Ramseys had been delinquent in paying training bills to him for nearly four years and owed him $905,357.29 at the time of his filing.

“It's not that I'm not paying, it's just that I guess I'm not paying fast enough,” Ken Ramsey told the Paulick Report in March. “I have never beaten anybody out of a dime.”

A subsequent motion from Maker suggested the Ramseys paid the balance down after news of the suit broke, but did not keep to their own suggested payment schedule and eventually stopped sending checks. Ramsey disputed the arrangement the couple had with Maker regarding payments and the total amount owed.

Wesley Ward filed suit against the Ramseys around the same time, making similar allegations about delinquent payment and stating he was owed $974,790.40 in bills, interest, and purses. That case, filed in Jessamine Circuit Court, appears to still be open as of this writing.

Learn more about how and why trainers carry balances from owners in this March edition of The Friday Show.

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Fort Erie Race Track Will Require Spectators To Be Fully Vaccinated

On Sept. 22, the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium (FELRC) will require all spectators to be fully vaccinated to attend live or simulcast racing at Fort Erie Race Track. Provincial regulations outlined in the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020, require that all spectators be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend horse racing venues across Ontario.

“Following suit with the provincial government regulations, all our fans must be fully vaccinated if they intend to come and watch live racing at our venue,” said Tom Valiquette, FELRC's chief financial officer. “This will also apply to anyone who intends to watch simulcast racing at the Racebook throughout the week as well as the weekend.”

Government regulations stipulate that a fully vaccinated person is one that has received a full series of the vaccine authorized by Health Canada. This would include any combination of the vaccines. A person is also considered fully vaccinated if they have received one or two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine not authorized by Health Canada, followed by one dose of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine authorized by Health Canada. Additionally, a person is fully vaccinated if they received three doses of the vaccine not authorized by Health Canada and received their final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine 14 days before providing proof.

Proof of vaccination includes a paper or emailed receipt provided by the Ontario government. Individuals can print or download their vaccine receipt from the provincial booking portal. Additionally, individuals needing support in obtaining their vaccination receipt can also call the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900.

Spectators that are 18 years old or younger are exempt from the government's mandate to be fully vaccinated to attend live racing.

Medical exemptions will be allowed for a multitude of reasons and as outlined by Ontario's Ministry of Health. One valid exemption is if the individual suffered an allergic reaction related to a component in the vaccine. The second valid exemption is if the individual suffers a heart condition after the first dose of the vaccine. Individuals must provide written documentation completed by a physician or registered nurse stating the medical reason for not being full vaccinated as well as the effective time-period for the medical reason.

All Fort Erie Race Track employees, contractors and horsepeople will be required to be fully vaccinated, or they must enter into an enhanced screening program for the foreseeable future.

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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.

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