A ruling by California stewards ordered the disqualification of Wait a While from her third-place finish in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) and a redistribution of her $213,000 share of the purse because of a drug positive, according to the Daily Racing Form. Attorney Neil Papiano is representing owner Alan Cohen’s Arindel Farm and trainer Todd Pletcher. Papiano told the Form April 24 that the case can be appealed and should be appealed, but he also said he has not discussed the next steps with his clients.
Wait a While, champion 3-year-old filly of 2006, tested positive for procaine following the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park last October. The positive test was confirmed Dec. 5 by the California Horse Racing Board. Procaine is a local anesthetic found in the antibiotic procaine penicillin G. Procaine, a commonly administered antibiotic in horses is a class 3 violation, calls for a minimum 30-day suspension.
The CHRB filed a complaint against Pletcher after the Maddy Laboratory at the University of California-Davis reported that a sample taken from Wait a While exceeded the regulatory threshold for procaine. The finding was confirmed by the Pennsylvania Equine Research Laboratory.
Pletcher said in a statement after the positive was reported that What a While was treated with procaine penicillin G for a fever she developed two days after winning the Yellow Ribbon Stakes at Santa Anita on September 27. The filly had not responded to other antibiotics, and Pletcher said he was advised by his veterinarians that a 14-day withdrawal time would be adequate for this treatment. Pletecher said Wait a Whiel received her last injection of the antibiotic on October 6, 18 days prior to the Breeders’ Cup.
Papiano said there are still questions regarding the chain of custody of the test sample and how it was transported to the laboratory.