Pletcher Facing Three Complaints In Florida For Medication Overages
Todd Pletcher
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has been issued complaints from the Florida Gaming Control Commission Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering for three alleged medication violations in December 2022 and February of this year. These came on the heels of recently reported failed drug tests for Pletcher-trained Eclipse Award winner Forte in New York and multiple Grade 1 stakes winner Mind Control in Pennsylvania, both in September.
Pletcher has said Forte and Mind Control's failed tests were the result of contamination. The three alleged Florida violations are all overages of legal therapeutic medications.
Only one of the five alleged violations has been adjudicated, that being Forte's positive test for the Class 2 anti-inflammatory drug meloxicam following his victory in the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes last Sept. 5. Owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, Forte has been disqualified from that win and Pletcher received a 10-day suspension and $1,000 fine. The case is being appealed.
Lisa Lazarus, CEO of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, indicated it is unlikely a case like Forte's would have been pursued as a violation under the newly formed group's Anti-Doping and Medication Control program, which has higher screening levels for certain substances and an "atypical findings" policy designed to identify contamination cases. However, the HISA program did not go into effect until May 22 of this year.
According to records obtained from the Florida Gaming Control Commission Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, two Pletcher runners tested positive at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 10 and a third horse tested positive at the South Florida track on Feb. 3.
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Ari Gold, a Medaglia d'Oro colt owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, tested positive for the ulcer medication omeprazole sulfide, a Class 5 drug in Florida, following his victory in the Pulpit Stakes on Dec. 10.
Also on Dec. 10, Team Valor International's OK Boomer tested positive for the Class 4 corticosteroid dexamethasone after winning his debut in a one-mile turf maiden race. The Noble Mission colt has had two races since then, most recently finishing fourth in the Colonel Liam Stakes at Gulfstream on March 4.
On Feb. 3, Six Minus – an English Channel gelding racing for Repole Stable, Todd Pletcher and J.J. Pletcher – was found to have elevated levels of two anti-inflammatories in his system, ketoprofen and phenylbutazone, following an allowance/optional claiming race win on the Gulfstream Park turf. It is a violation of Florida medication regulations to have more than one non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug above certain levels.
Ari Gold was found by the University of Florida Racing Laboratory to have 4.57 nanograms of omeprazole per milliliter in a urine sample; the regulatory threshold or screening limit is 1 ng/ml. OK Boomer was reported to have 19.7 picograms/milliliter of dexamethasone in serum compared to a threshold level of 5 pg/ml. Six Minus had a ketoprofen level of 2.49 ng/ml and phenylbutazone level of 0.967 micrograms/milliliter in serum; when more than one NSAID is found, Florida's threshold level for ketoprofen is 1 ng/ml and phenylbutazone is 0.3 µg/ml.
Pletcher requested hearings for all three cases and split samples were requested for OK Boomer and Six Minus. Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed dexamethasone in OK Boomer at a level of 18.8 pg/ml but the test for Six Minus has not been returned, according to records from Florida officials.
Mind Control's alleged positive came at Parx Racing after the Sept. 24 Parx Dirt Mile Stakes in which the son of Mind Control was elevated to first place following a stewards disqualification of Far Mo Power for stretch interference. The name of the drug has not been reported, and the case has not been brought before the stewards at this time. Mind Control raced for Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables LLC.
Pletcher is the sport's all-time leading trainer by money won. He was voted an Eclipse Award in 2022 as outstanding trainer for a record eighth time.
