Kentucky stewards have disqualified two winners and a third-place horse while assessing trainers Philip Bauer and Greg Foley 30-day suspensions and $500 fines for three separate post-race drug tests that came back positive in recent months.
It was not immediately known if appeals were in the works. Bauer's two suspensions will run concurrently because the stewards cited mitigating circumstances (including “first medication violation in training career”), but he will be responsible for paying both fines. Foley's one suspension got halved via stay to 15 days, also because of mitigating circumstances (“number of violations in relation to overall record”).
According to a pair of Kentucky Horse Racing Commission rulings dated Nov. 18, the Bauer-trained Angkor (Anchor Down), who ran third in a June 13 allowance/optional claiming sprint at Churchill Downs June 13, and Played Hard (Into Mischief), who won a maiden special weight route June 20, both returned positive tests for meloxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic listed as a Class B (second-most severe tier) substance in Kentucky.
The rulings stated that in addition to his prior clean record, the fact that Bauer was not notified of the first finding before the second one registered a week later was also a factor in allowing his suspensions to be served concurrently over Dec. 5-Jan. 3.
The Foley-trained On Your Mark (Mark Valeski) won a NW1X/N2L allowance turf sprint at Ellis Park Aug. 1 and then tested positive for an acepromazine metabolite. The tranquilizer known as “ace” is a Class B penalty in Kentucky.
Foley's suspension runs Dec. 5-19. The remaining 15 days will be stayed provided he does not register any Class A or B drug violations in any jurisdiction within a year of the Nov. 18 ruling.
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