3 Years After Triple Crown Bid, Trainer Is Given a 10-Year Ban
By JOE DRAPE
Published: October 12, 2011
New York authorities on Wednesday revoked the license of Richard Dutrow Jr., the trainer of the 2008 Kentucky Derby winner, Big Brown, barring him from state racetracks for 10 years and potentially ending the career of one of thoroughbred racing’s more controversial and successful horsemen.
The action by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board amounts to one of the most severe penalties issued in American racing and comes at a time when lawmakers, as well as many racing industry officials, are trying to restore confidence in the sport.
For years, Mr. Dutrow, whose horses have won some $80 million in purses and found themselves in the winner’s circle after any number of premier races across the globe, has been seen by many as the face of much of what is wrong with racing. Mr. Dutrow had been cited for nearly 70 violations at 15 racetracks in nine states — everything from hiding workouts of his horses to using powerful painkillers on horses he ultimately sent out to race.
“New York’s racing industry has no place or patience for Mr. Dutrow,” John Sabini, the chairman of the racing board, said in a statement. “His repeated violations and disregard of the rules of racing has eroded confidence in the betting public and caused an embarrassment throughout the industry.”
Concerns about drug use and possible cheating in horse racing have been the subject of Congressional hearings in recent years. Last spring, Representative Edward Whitfield, Republican of Kentucky, and Senator Tom Udall, Democrat of New Mexico, introduced legislation that proposed stiff penalties, including a permanent ban, for trainers whose horses test positive for drugs.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/sports/dutrow-barred-from-training-horses-in-new-york-for-10-years.html?_r=1&hp
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