Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will start a seven-day suspension imposed by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit on Tuesday after deciding not to dispute a positive late last year for a regulated corticosteroid in a horse he trains.
Pletcher will begin serving the suspension three days after one of his horses, River Thames, finished a close second in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, a major prep for the Kentucky Derby. Pletcher also has several late-blooming horses that could figure in the road to the Derby over the next several months.
One of those horses is Vassimo, who tested positive for betamethasone after winning the first start of his career at Gulfstream Park in Florida on Dec. 14. Betamethasone is a regulated corticosteroid that is commonly used to reduce inflammation and pain in joints, though it can also be administered intravenously.
Drew Mollica, the attorney for Pletcher, said that the trainer conducted a “thorough review” of his barn practices in the wake of being notified of the positive three weeks ago. When asked if the investigation turned up any evidence of an accidental administration of the drug to the horse, Mollica said “we discovered that Todd and his team followed all the proper procedures and protocols.”
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“These things happen, and rather than dispute the finding, Todd decided he wanted to put it behind him and move on,” Mollica said.
HIWU and its administrator, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, have sped up adjudications of appeals since the groups began regulating drug testing and enforcement in the past several years. While appeals under the former state-run system have often taken years to clear, HIWU has generally released a final resolution within months of an appeal being filed, setting up the possibility that Pletcher could serve a suspension during the meat of the Triple Crown.
By accepting the violation without an appeal, Pletcher had the suspension reduced from a maximum of 15 days to seven days.
Vassimo won his second start at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 17, prior to Pletcher being notified of the positive test. The horse finished fourth in the Feb. 15 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, a Derby prep, in his third start.
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