I'll Have Another's trainer suspended, but he can work Belmont
Doug O'Neill, the trainer of Triple Crown hopeful I'll Have Another, was suspended 45 days by the California Horse Racing Board on Thursday because one of his horses exceeded the allowable limit for total carbon dioxide. However, the punishment won't begin before July 1, allowing him to saddle I'll Have Another in the June 9 Belmont Stakes.
I'll Have Another won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness and is trying to become the first horse in 34 years to win the Triple Crown by adding a victory in the Belmont.
In a complicated ruling, O'Neill was punished because his horse, Argenta, tested for a high level of TCO2 in its blood after finishing eighth in a race at Del Mar on Aug. 25, 2010. TCO2 can be caused by is a mixture of bicarbonate of soda, sugar and electrolytes that enhances performance and combats fatigue, a practice called "milkshaking."
The hearing officer agreed with O'Neill's contention that evidence showed Argenta had not been milkshaked, so it was determined milkshaking was not the cause of the TCO2 overage.
No suspicious betting patterns were discovered in the race, and no evidence was found that O'Neill's act was intentional.
Nonetheless, the trainer is held responsible if an excess amount of TCO2 is found in the horse's blood sample.
It was recommended that O'Neill be suspended for 45 days, with an additional 135 days stayed for 18 months, provided the trainer commits no further major violations in any state. The officer also recommended a $15,000 fine. The racing board agreed with the recommendations.
