Koriner Gets 5-Day Ban in Procaine Case

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Trainer Brian Koriner was fined $5,000 and will serve a five-day suspension beginning April 14 as part of a stipulated agreement with the California Horse Racing Board after a horse in his care exceeded the allowable threshold for the local anesthetic procaine following a race at Hollywood Park nearly a year ago.

In a hearing this week, stewards at Santa Anita handed down a 40-day suspension to Koriner for the Class 3 violation, but the CHRB agreed to stay all but five days provided Koriner has no additional Class 1, 2, or 3 violations for one year. The CHRB issued a statement announcing the decision April 12.

Black Seventeen, winner of the fifth race at Hollywood Park May 1, 2007, exceeded the acceptable regulatory level for procaine in a post-race test sample examined by the Ken Maddy Laboratory at the University of California-Davis. The finding was confirmed by the Iowa State University Racing Chemistry Laboratory. Black Seventeen won the six-furlong allowance race by 6 1/2 lengths.

The stewards at Santa Anita also issued a ruling disqualifying Lotacat and ordered a redistribution of part of the the purse for the second race at Santa Anita Feb. 10, after the Maddy Laboratory reported that a sample taken from Lotacat tested in excess of the authorized decision level for 3-hydroxy(ethyl)-promazine, a metabolite of acepromazine. The Class 2 violation was confirmed by Iowa State University Racing Chemistry Laboratory.

Acepromazine is a commonly used tranquilizer in horses. Lotacat finished second in the race and earned $9,600. A hearing with stewards is set April 13 for Dan Hendricks, the trainer of Lotacat.

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