Diodoro fined for Minnesota medication violations

Trainer Robert Diodoro has been fined $5,000 and received a stayed 60-day suspension from the Canterbury board of stewards after tests found higher-than-allowed levels of hydroxylidocaine in two horses he trained.

Diodoro waived his right to a formal hearing and agreed to accept the suspension and penalty, according to the ruling, which was posted on the Association of Racing Commissioners International website.

The medication was found in a sample from Hey Kitten, who finished second in a race on Aug. 26, and Catty Krys, who finished sixth in a Sept. 1 race. Both samples were above the allowable threshold after factoring in the measurement of uncertainty. Both horses were disqualified and declared unplaced, which did not affect the pari-mutuel payouts.

The Board of Stewards said it considered that the second violation occurred before the first violation was reported to the stewards and was not known by Diodoro. "Therefore, the Board of Stewards treated the two violations as one, which is standard practice," the ruling reads.

Diodoro's suspension was to begin Dec. 1 but was stayed because of "mitigating factors," according to the ruling.

Hydroxylidocaine is a metabolite of lidocaine, the substance found in Bob Baffert-trained Charlatan and Gamine earlier this year.

In 1,072 starts this year, Diodoro has a record of 237-179-150 and earnings of $5.9 million. He began his training career in 1995.