The West Virginia Racing Commission has upheld the suspension of trainer Chris Grove for a 2012 positive test for a Class I substance after a race at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.
Charles Town stewards earlier this year suspended the Maryland-based Grove for six months and fined him $5,000 after Bubba de France won and tested positive for the stimulant nikethamide, also called Coramine. Class I drugs carry the most severe penalties.
The WVRC Aug. 20 unanimously upheld a hearing officer's recommendation that the penalty be left intact. Grove had appealed the stewards' ruling.
The case resulted in what WVRC senior deputy attorney general Kelli Talbott said was "extensive testimony." She indicated it wasn't determined how the substance got into the horse's system, but there is a trainer responsibility rule.
