Belterra Park

Update: Belterra Stewards Also Fine Jockey Involved in Pre-Race Weigh-Out Omission

Two days after the stewards at Belterra Park imposed a $1,000 fine on the track's clerk of scales for failing to check the weight of an apprentice jockey prior to a May 2 race, an additional penalty carrying the same fine has been levied upon the rider, Summer Pauly. For TDN's original reporting on the May 7 ruling against clerk of scales Jose Sanchez, Jr., click here. That story explained how Pauly was facing unusual time constraints to make it to Belterra to ride a race scheduled for 2:05 p.m....

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Belterra Clerk Fined $1,000 for Weigh-Out Omission

The stewards at Belterra Park have imposed a $1,000 fine on that track's clerk of scales, Jose Sanchez, Jr., for failing to check the weight of apprentice jockey Summer Pauly before she rode the 3-2 favorite in the second race May 2. A ruling issued Thursday, described what happened: "During the post parade of race #2, the Board of Stewards radioed Outriders to bring #1 Bobby's Gift back to the Paddock to re-check jockey Summer Pauly's weight, due to Steward's concerns it was incorrect. The scale showed Ms. Pauly was...

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Horse shadow at Churchill Downs
Weekly Rulings: Feb. 19-25

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Among this week's rulings, registered outrider Sydney Fried has been suspended for 90 days and fined $2,500 for failing to give investigators access to her personal bag during a routine barn search for fear, she argued, about the ramifications from marijuana possession. According to an...

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Trainer Zvi Kriple Banned Two Years for Deprivation of Care in Horse Colic Death

A Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) internal adjudication panel has banned trainer Zvi Kriple for two years for breach of the racetrack safety rule that prohibits "the deprivation of necessary care, sustenance, shelter, or veterinary care" to a Covered Horse. The case concerns the former Kriple trainee, Royal Honey (Astern {Aus}). In April of this year, Royal Honey died a "very painful death" from colic when stabled at Belterra Park after Kriple failed to secure for the 5-year-old mare the necessary veterinary care, according to a written ruling dated...

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Bowen Suspended 30 Days for 'Intentional' Bumping at Belterra; Penalty Halved for Not Appealing

Rocco Bowen was suspended 30 days by the stewards at Belterra Park Tuesday for "intentionally" engaging in "rough riding" when finishing second aboard the 3-10 favorite during the stretch run of the $75,000 Miss Southern Ohio Stakes last Friday. But because the veteran jockey has agreed not to appeal the ruling, the penalty has been cut in half, to 15 days. Bowen's agent, Cory Hayes, confirmed to TDN that the reduced suspension will be in effect from Sept. 29 through Oct. 13. "It's pretty self-explanatory in the [ruling]," Hayes said....

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Weekly Rulings, Oct. 24-30: Lengthy Bans for Trainers Ramos, Macias

Every week, the TDN posts a round-up of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among this week's rulings are two steep suspensions. Trainer Francisco Ramos has been banned a total of 10 years and fined a combined $125,000 for five out-of-competition medication violations for Clenbuterol, a substance that is banned outside of very specific circumstances. According to HIWU's final ruling, HIWU representatives collected blood samples from the horses Scat Shack and Cindy's Storm, and a hair sample from Jim's River Runner, at...

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Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: One-Eyed White Sands, Favored In Adirondack, Won't Run

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--There is a good reason why White Sands (Into Mischief), the 3-1 morning-line favorite for Sunday's $200,000, GIII Adirondack for 2-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course, isn't going to run. She's not here. Trainer Wesley Ward said Saturday morning on the Saratoga backstretch that White Sands is at Keeneland and likely waiting for one of two races at Del Mar next weekend: the $150,000 GIII Sorrento for 2-year-old fillies on Aug. 10 or the $150,000 GIII Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds on Aug. 11. White Sands, owned by...

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Weekly Rulings: July 4-July 10

Every week, the TDN posts a round-up of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the HIWU "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 07/09/2024 Licensee: Blake A. Kelly, trainer Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision by HIWU. Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Dantrolene—Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a sample taken from Karter's Baby Blue on 5/15/24....

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Graded Stakes Could be Next for Jackie's Warrior Half-Sis White Sands

Wesley Ward admitted he was looking for an easy spot for  White Sands (Into Mischief) to make her first racetrack appearance, but when the half-sister to sprint champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) romped by 9 1/2 lengths in her debut at Belterra Park in May, the trainer immediately circled the Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes on his calendar. The filly duly delivered again in that 5 1/2-furlong event, defeating the boys in a 13 3/4-length demolition at Prairie Meadows last Saturday. "We had a long time with her," Ward said of...

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Preakness Contender Mugatu Brings Blue-Collar Stable To Classic Stage

When Mugatu (Blofeld) makes his way onto the track in the morning, it's hard to look away. The imposing chestnut colt with the unique blaze that spans across his forehead before trickling down to just above his nostrils has a presence that makes you pay attention. And when he moves across the track, it's easy to understand why he was the one that Dan Preiss sought out on the final day of the 2023 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training sale. After receiving a call from trainer Jeff...

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Apprentice Jockey Luis Marcano Dies In Motorcycle Accident In Puerto Rico

Luis Yamil Marcano, who spent most of 2023 riding at Belterra Park, before returning to his native Puerto Rico in October to ride at Camarero, died Sunday night from injuries he sustained from a motorcycle accident. He was 19. The news was first reported on Camarero's Facebook page, which posted the following: "Camarero Racecourse regrets the sudden death of rider Luis Yamil Marcano. Luis graduated from the Agustín Mercado Reverón Equestrian Vocational School in 2022 staying active since then in races at Camarero Racecourse and several racecourses in the United...

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Jimmy Corrigan Vows to Fight HIWU Suspension

When Jimmy Corrigan was informed after an Oct. 7 race at Belterra Park that his horse Stay Lost (Bernardini) had tested positive for the banned substance methamphetamine he was shocked. The native of Ireland had been training in the U.S. since 1992 and had never had a drug positive of any kind. He said he is careful who he hires and that he's sure that no one in his barn had ever touched the drug. But, at least initially, these things don't matter under the rules of the Horseracing Integrity...

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