Trainer Eric Reed will serve 7-day suspension for positive test

Trainer Eric Reed, who conditioned Rich Strike to an upset victory in the 2022 Kentucky Derby, has been issued a seven-day suspension and a fine  after a horse he trained tested positive for gabapentin after winning an allowance race at Mahoning Valley on April 13.

Reed will serve his suspension starting Wednesday according to a ruling posted to the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit website. In addition, he will pay a $1,000 fine and have two penalty points assessed. The ruling, dated Monday, was previously reported by Eric Mitchell of BloodHorse.

Gabapentin is a class 3 controlled substance. Used to manage seizures in humans, it is also used to treat chronic pain in horses.

The horse subject to the 2024 finding, a 5-year-old Blame mare named Lost Bikini, will be disqualified and the purse money will be redistributed. Lost Bikini has only raced once since that start, when she finished eighth and last in a $12,500 claiming race at Mountaineer for trainer Kevin Fletcher and owner Quarter Pole Investments.