The Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering is investigating Orlando Paraliticci, a private veterinarian who has been ruled off the grounds at Tampa Bay Downs.
FDPW spokeswoman Sandi Poreda said Feb. 14 that the track had informed the regulator that the veterinarian had been banned. Poreda did not comment about the reason for the ban or the investigation.
Trainer Jane Cibelli told the Tampa Bay Times that while Paraliticci was her vet until recently, she has no knowledge of the incident.
"Neither myself nor my assistants were in the barn when this supposedly took place," Cibelli told the paper. "The story going around is that I'm standing right there when (Paraliticci) is doing whatever he was supposed to be doing. The first thing I knew about (the alleged incident) was when I got a phone call from the stewards.
"The other thing is he practiced two more days after that. To my knowledge, he was not banned because of when they searched his vehicle."
With 16 wins from 44 starts, Cibelli ranks second in earnings at the current Tampa meeting. Cibelli has never had a drug violation that resulted in a suspension and her most recent medication violation was in May 2011 for a positive for the anti-inflammatory Flunixin, a class 4 drug. She was fined $100 for that incident.
Poreda said a hearing date for Paraliticci will be determined after the investigation is complete.
