Two-time GI Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Doug O'Neill has been summoned to a stewards' hearing to address a California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) complaint that revolves around a potential illegal administration of a substance prior to races four months ago at Los Alamitos Race Course (LARC).
According to an Oct. 22 CHRB complaint, back on July 5, “Investigators received information from Los Alamitos track security steward, Michael Kilpack, regarding seeing someone at trainer Doug O'Neill's barn possibly giving an illegal substance to a horse that had already been entered in a race at LARC.”
The complaint continued: “Investigators conducted a barn inspection at trainer Doug O'Neill's barn…. During the barn inspection, investigators did not observe any pre-race 'Detention Stall Sign' posted on any of the stalls prior to the post time of the race for which the horses were entered.”
Investigators then “interviewed assistant trainer Sabas Rivera, [who] stated he had given 'BleederShield' and 'Un-Lock' to the horses yesterday, which was 24 hours prior to race.”
TDN could not reach O'Neill on Monday to get his side of the story. Darrell Vienna, an attorney who has represented O'Neill in past cases before the CHRB, said via phone that he has not yet had an opportunity to discuss this new complaint with O'Neill.
BleederShield is advertised as a “pre-race or event formula for horses that bleed due to respiratory stress.” According to an online product description, its active ingredient is yunnan baiyao, which is a Traditional Chinese Medicine herbal formula used for wound healing, as a pain reliever, and to stop bleeding in both animals and humans.
Un-Lock is advertised as “a unique combination of muscle-supporting amino acids…plus electrolytes and essential vitamins.”
The substances are non-FDA approved and while it's not illegal to give them to horses in general, it is illegal to administer to a horse within 24 hours of a race.
Two months ago, on Sept. 6, O'Neill got fined $2,000 for a pair of Class 4, Penalty Category C methocarbamol positives at Santa Anita Park from May and June, one in a race and the other in a workout. A 4C categorization represents the least-severe side of the scale on the Uniform Classification Guidelines for Foreign Substances list published by the Association of Racing Commissioners International.
Separately, back in March, O'Neill negotiated a CHRB settlement agreement that included a $7,500 fine and the serving of 10 days of a 30-day suspension over a 2B positive lidocaine test triggered by one of his trainees in October 2020.
Violations of the following CHRB rules are alleged in this latest complaint: Rule 1845(c)2(A) pertains to posting the detention stall signage. Rules 1843.5(a), (c) and (h) deal with the administration of substances after a horse is entered to race. Rule 1887(a) is the “absolute insurer” regulation that dictates a trainer's responsibilities.
The CHRB complaint does not constitute a ruling against O'Neill. It is a “notice to appear” before the Los Alamitos stewards. No date for the hearing was listed on the complaint, which was signed electronically by the CHRB's equine medical director, Jeff Blea, DVM.
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