George Weaver

Trainer George Weaver is one of several trainers whose horses have tested positive for metformin who will have their suspensions deferred as the Board of Directors of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has requested additional review of the drug which is heavily prescribed and used to treat diabetes in people. "In line with HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control requirements, metformin is included in the Prohibited Substances List because there is no recognized therapeutic use for the substance in horses involved in Thoroughbred racing," HISA Board Chairman Charles Scheeler said...

1st-Belmont The Big A, $90,000, Msw, 5-24, 2yo, 5 1/2f (off turf), 1:05.53, ft, head. SOONTOBEKING (c, 2, King for a Day--Swayed, by Freud) ran third on debut May 10 sprinting five panels on a muddy main track facing state-bred rivals. Moved to the barn of Mitch Friedman as his former trainer George Weaver is under a provisional suspension enforced by HIWU, Soontobeking made all the right moves late in his second try to graduate. First bobbling at the break and then bumping with a rival soon after, the only...

The storylines of "Thurby" can oftentimes get lost in the hubbub of the ensuing weekend of racing at Churchill Downs, but for trainer John Hancock, the Thursday before this year's Kentucky Derby was a day he won't soon forget. Not feeling the greatest that afternoon, the veteran conditioner decided to stay back at the barn and let his family head to the paddock to saddle West Memorial (Caracaro) and Strummin (Flameaway) for the Kentucky Juvenile S. Meanwhile Hancock drove over to a spot on the backside where he had a...

The attorney representing trainer George Weaver has been informed by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) that a split sample taken from the horse Anna's Wish (Dialed In) has confirmed the earlier finding that the horse raced with the banned substance metformin during the Mar. 16 Cicada S. at Aqueduct. Trainers whose horses have tested positive for what HIWU considers banned substances face suspensions of up to two years. Weaver will be allowed to run horses that have already been entered, but cannot continue to enter horses and his...

Good Lord Lorrie (Hard Spun) came back from a lengthy layoff to not only win his seasonal bow but also claim his first black-type in the Woodhaven S, When last seen, the chestnut broke his maiden in a turf dash at Saratoga last summer, defeating SP Smokey Smokey (Mendelssohn) and SP Ocean Mermaid (GB) (Kingman {GB}). Brushing with a rival after the jump, he was well-placed early in third and tracked the leading duo until late on the backstretch, where he took closer order. Called for a rally, he shifted...

A casino is supposed to be on the way, but in the meantime these are tough times for racing in Chicago and its only remaining racetrack, Hawthorne. They still don't have any outside revenue from a casino, their purses are meager and their simulcast signal gets lost on days like Saturday, when they went up against the likes of Aqueduct, Gulfstream, Keeneland, Oaklawn and Santa Anita. The handle Saturday was $1,019,178. It should have been three times that. We've seen a lot of tracks experiment with lower takeouts. The latest...

When it comes to getting horses to the GI Kentucky Derby few have done more with less. Dennis Albaugh's Albaugh Family Stable doesn't have nearly the numbers of a Mike Repole or the partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables, but he keeps coming up with Derby starters. This year he has Catching Freedom (Constitution), the winner of the GII Louisiana Derby, who will be his tenth starter under the Twin Spires over the last seven years. The goal this time around is not to simply make into...

According to the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) a horse trained by New York-based conditioner George Weaver has tested positive for the banned substance metformin. Weaver has asked for a test on a split sample and will be allowed to continue to train pending the results of that test. The horse in question is Anna's Wish (Dailed In) and the alleged violation occurred after she was tested following the March 16 Cicada S. at Aqueduct in which she finished third.  Metformin is listed as a banned substance by HIWU,...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among this week's rulings, trainer Daniel Kenney has been banned18 months and fined $12,500 for possession of the thyroid drug, Levothyroxine, which HISA has listed a banned substance. Kenney's ban began on Oct. 5, 2023. In a brief explainer on the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) website, HIWU Investigators allegedly found the Levothyroxine—otherwise known as Thyro-L—in one of Kenney's tack rooms at Arapahoe Park in Aurora, Colorado on Aug. 25, 2023....

Main Event (Bernardini) punched his ticket to the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Saturday with a thrilling gate-to-wire win in the GII Fort Lauderdale S. at Gulfstream to close out Pegasus Preview Day in south Florida. Raced exclusively in New York for his 4-year-old campaign, the OBSAPR grad returned to Gulfstream for the first time since picking up two wins out of three starts to begin his campaign nearly two years ago. A stakes winner over the grass in the Cutler Bay S. back in 2022, Main Event picked up...

Cindy Hutter, who continues her inspiring recovery from a severe brain injury sustained in a training accident in July 2022, has been named the 2023 winner of the Bill Mooney Award for displaying courage in the face of tremendous adversity by the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters. Hutter started riding at a young age before going to work for trainer Bruce Miller after she turned 16. Hutter later worked for D. Wayne Lukas, galloping such stars as Winning Colors, Thunder Gulch, Open Mind and Flanders, and later for Todd Pletcher,...

Undefeated on American soil, No Nay Mets showed promise on debut in taking Gulfstream's Royal Palm Juvenile S. May 13 to earn a spot in the gate for Royal Ascot's G2 Norfolk S. After selling for £800,000 at Goff's London Sale just before the Ascot meet, he was soundly beaten in the Norfolk. The Irish-bred then returned to the East Coast with a dominant win as the heavy favorite in Monmouth's Tyro S. last time out July 30. Despite running over his fourth track in as many starts, No Nay...