Santa Anita stewards fined trainer Dan Hendricks $3,000 while staying a 30-day suspension as a result of a medication violation for acepromazine, a commonly used tranquilizer for horses, the California Horse Racing Board announced in a statement released April 26.
Stewards had earlier disqualified the horse, Lotacat, who finished second in the sixth race at Santa Anita Feb. 10, and ordered a partial redistribution of $9,600 in purse money. In post-race drug testing at the Ken Maddy Laboratory at University of California-Davis, Lotacat was found to have exceeded the authorized decision level for a metabolite of acepromazine. It is a Class 2 violation.
The suspension was stayed provided that Hendricks have no further Class 1, 2 or 3 violations for a one-year probationary period.
The CHRB also filed a complaint against trainer Christopher “Beau” Greeley after a horse in his care, Rather Be Lucky, tested positive for the skeletal muscle relaxant hydroxy-carisoprodol and meprobomate following a victory in the third race at Santa Anita Jan. 21.
According to the CHRB, Greely failed to meet the regulatory deadline to request a split sample confirmation.
Carisoprodol is a centrally acting relaxant. Meprobomate is a pharmacologically active metabolite of carisoprodol with anxiolytic and sedative properties. Carisoprodol is currently a Class VI violation in California; meprobomate is a Class 2 violation.
The stewards at Hollywood Park have scheduled a May 24 hearing.
In a separate ruling, Santa Anita stewards disqualified Queen of the Derby from a first-place finish in the eighth race at Del Mar on July 25, 2007, and ordered the redistribution of the purse following a positive test for guanabenz.
Guanabenz is used to treat hypertension in people. According to the CHRB, this family of drugs also produces sedative or analgesic effect in horses and includes the FDA approved equine drugs xylazine and detomidine.
Michael Pender, the trainer of Queen of the Derby, served a 15-day suspension in connection with the Class 2 violation. Pender was also fined $7,500.
Dan Hendricks
