An employee of a trainer at Turfway Park has been suspended two years by stewards at Turfway Park for possessing a syringe believed to contain vodka in a horse’s stall prior to a race.
According to the ruling, stable employee Richard E. Lawson, who waived his right to a formal hearing before the stewards, is suspended from March 25 of this year through March 24, 2012.
Trainer Jeffrey Scott Raley was previously issued a one-year suspension by the stewards in connection with the incident. Raley, who was suspended by the stewards under a rule in which a trainer is responsible for all actions pertaining to a horse under his or her care, told the Daily Racing Form he will appeal the suspension.
The ruling states Lawson was in possession of a syringe and needle containing the substance believed to be vodka while in the receiving barn with the horse Spontaneous Diva about 40 minutes prior to a race Feb. 28.