Report: Pletcher appeals suspension; Mind Control gets 2022 DQ
Trainer Todd Pletcher reportedly appealed his 15-day suspension by the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission after Mind Control was ruled to have failed a drug test following his victory Sept. 24 in the $200,000 Parx Dirt Mile at Parx Racing.
The PHRC decision dated Friday of last week was posted Thursday of this week to the public-rulings page on the commission website. Paulick Report broke the story.
Click here for Parx Racing entries and results.
Now retired to stud, Mind Control was demoted from first to last, and his owners Steve Brunetti and Sol Kumin were called on to forfeit the $114,000 winner’s share of the purse. Far Mo Power, who had been demoted to second for interference late in the race, reclaimed the victory.
Paulick Report said Pletcher filed a formal appeal, meaning his suspension that was scheduled to start Wednesday of next week and run through Sept. 13 is on hold. Also fined $500, Pletcher testified by phone and his attorney Karen Murphy in person Aug. 9 during a stewards hearing.
“Based upon expert testimony from Dr. Mary Robinson, director of the Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory, and the official analytical reports from the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission, (Mind Control) tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide,” the ruling said.
According to websites devoted to animal medicine, hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic that helps horses reduce the amount of salt they absorb and lower the amount of fluid they are retaining. Overdoses can lead to dehydration, low blood pressure, salt imbalances and even seizures and comas.
Pletcher has appealed two other medication suspensions from last year at Saratoga, including the one that disqualified Forte from his victory in the Hopeful (G1).
All these cases preceded the start of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s medication regulations, which have been enforced for three months by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit.