Ky. Derby-winning trainer Delgado will serve 7-day suspension

Trainer Gustavo Delgado will serve a seven-day suspension beginning Tuesday for a positive finding of a controlled substance.

The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit posted Monday that capsaicin was discovered in Avant Glory after a victory in a Dec. 26 optional-claiming starter race at Gulfstream Park. The now 6-year-old son of Khozan was disqualified from the race, and Delgado was fined $1,000.

Capsaicin is an analgesic and causes the hot or irritant properties of many peppers, according to the HIWU website. Many horsemen use pepper pastes, hot sauce and similar products to discourage horses from chewing on bandages or stall doors. But it also is used in topical pain relief products such as creams, ointments, liniments, braces, and patches, according to HIWU.

Gustavo Delgado trained 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage and was on the Derby trail this year with Ferocious who had earned 12 qualifying points and finished fourth in the Holy Bull (G3), his most recent start. However, Ferocious has been taken off the Kentucky Derby trail after a muscle tear.