By Karen M. Johnson
Trainer Jennifer Leigh-Pedersen was suspended 60 days by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board from an incident in March 2005, when state investigators found injectible bottles in the office of her Aqueduct barn.
Pedersen is suspended under NYSRWB rule 4012.1, which states, in part, “any equipment which may be used for hypodermic injection or other infusion into a horse or any vial, bottle or cartridge designed and usable for such purposes” is not permitted in a trainer’s barn.
Karen Murphy, Pedersen’s attorney, said a previous report that the injectible bottles contained “controlled substances” was incorrect.
“There were no controlled substances,” Murphy said Jan. 6. “The bottles contained saline solution, B Complex, antibiotics, and vaccines.”
Carmine Donofrio, the state steward, said Jan. 6, “They weren’t controlled substances, but things she had no business having in a refrigerator in her barn.”
The suspension began Jan 4 and runs through March 3, 2008.
Pedersen appealed the suspension, but the NYSRWB upheld its ruling, which was originally handed down May 4, 2006. The NYSRWB imposed an additional 60-day suspension, but that will be waived provided Pedersen does not commit a violation of the board’s equine drug rules during the next year. She must also abide by the terms of her current 60-day suspension, which denies her privileges of the grounds at New York tracks, among other restrictions.
At the time of the March 2005 infraction, Pedersen was training horses for Ernie Paragallo’s Paraneck Stable. She and Paragallo parted ways in March 2006 after five years together.
Trainer Jennifer Leigh-Pedersen
