Trainer Wedig banned by Mountaineer Park
Mountaineer Park in New Cumberland, W. Va.
In an apparent reversal of an earlier decision, Mountaineer Park in West Virginia has ejected trainer Mark Wedig, who retrieved two slaughter-bound racehorses last month in an effort to prove he had not violated the track’s anti-slaughter policy.
The West Virginia Racing Commission denied Wedig's request for a stay on Wednesday. The trainer has appealed the May 29 ejection, and commission executive director Jon Amores said that the commission would schedule a hearing within 30 days.
Wedig’s ejection came after the Canadian slaughter company, Viande Richelieu, confirmed in a May 24 e-mail to a Canadian farm owner assisting Ohio stewards that it had sent two Ohio racehorses, Canuki and Cactus Cafe, “back to the owner.” The Canadian Food Inspection Agency noted that "this is not a routine occurrence."
