Anyone ready to throw this guy over the falls by labeling him a "cheater" doesn't have the slightest clue what is involved in the day to day running of a racing stable. 80 horses, gone through mane to tail daily with a team of assistants, vets, etc. Human error is bound to rear it's head, that is a fact of life. He has over 620 starts this year and one lousy overage classifies him as a "cheater"??!! I can't recall the last time this happened, it certainly hasn't been within the last year - he started over 1500 last year and I'm sure when he won the trainer title last year more than quite a few (READ: ALL) were tested in the detention barn.
Bute overages are one of the most falacious, subjective measurements that these guys deal with, beacuse as Chuck said, it can be used so close to a race, and all horses react to and dissipate medication differently...Two horses treated on the same day within the time limits; one could still come up positive, and that;s on the trainer.
Was he negligent? He probably wasn't even there, but sure - it's his operation so by proxy he was negligent.
Responsible? Absolutely. He freely admited fault and assumed responsibility.
I guess being a man about it rather than crying about getting caught and appealing is now akin to "getting off early for good behavior"....sheesh
It's a real shame that folks feel the need to pile on one of the classier guys in the game, but hey, people need to do what they feel they need to do, even if that's libeling a man's character without any facts...I guess.
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