By T. D. Thornton
Trainer Peter Miller, currently third in wins and fourth in earnings at Santa Anita Park, has been fined $500 for a Class 4 finding of isoflupredone that was confirmed via split-sample testing when his trainee, Hembree (Proud Citizen), won the GII Joe Hernandez S. at 5-1 odds Jan. 1.
Isoflupredone is an injectable steroid primarily administered for anti-inflammatory effects. The drug's 4C categorization is on the less-severe side of the scale of the Uniform Classification Guidelines for Foreign Substances list published by the Association of Racing Commissioners International.
According to the California Horse Racing Board rule book, a trainer's first violation within a 365-day period for a Category C drug violation can result in a minimum fine of $500 to a maximum fine of $1,000 (absent mitigating circumstances).
In April 2017, Miller was previously fined $1,000 by the CHRB for an isoflupredone overage.
No disqualification or purse redistribution was listed within the ruling text on the CHRB website.
Hembree, owned by Tom Kagele, subsequently raced Feb. 6 when fifth in the GIII Thunder Road S. at Santa Anita.
It was not immediately clear at deadline for this story if Miller was appealing the fine. The stewards' ruling was dated Apr. 10.
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