Howbeit

Hopkins (Quality Road) gave his outstanding Lane's End-based stallion a sixth 'quality' winner over the course of the last five days, kicking clear late to easily prevail in Sunday's GIII Palos Verdes S. at the Great Race Place. Nicely away from gate two beneath Juan Hernandez, the $900,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase was content to lay second as Straight No Chaser (Speightster)--favored by about $900-- drilled the opening couple of furlongs in :21.80. Asked to claim the front-runner as the half went up in a slick :44.10, Hopkins hit the...

Trainer Doug O'Neill has been fined $7,500 and handed a 10-day suspension, starting Monday, Mar. 8, for a positive Lidocaine finding in a past-race sample from last October, as first reported in the Los Angeles Times. According to the Times, O'Neill negotiated a settlement agreement with the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) requiring him to serve only 10 days of a 30-day suspension, on the proviso he doesn't incur any further medication violations for a year. The positive concerned Howbeit (Secret Circle), second at Santa Anita Oct. 9, who was...