By: Jim Dunleavy
For the second time this month, Ramon Preciado’s trainer’s license has been revoked.
Preciado, the leading trainer at Parx Racing in both 2015 and 2014, has had at least 16 clenbuterol positives the past two seasons. The Parx stewards revoked his license in a Dec. 12 ruling for a clenbuterol violation in July.
On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Racing Commission, at its monthly meeting, revoked his license again, for eight clenbuterol positives, two that he incurred at the end of 2015 and six from March and April of this year.
A disgruntled employee, Marian Vega, has confessed to administering clenbuterol to Preciado’s horses this spring because of her “hate” for him. Vegas was fired in April and arrested in August on one count of rigging a horse race. She is free on bail and has not yet been to trial.
Under both the stewards’ and commission rulings, the revocation of Preciado’s license takes effect Thursday.
Preciado’s attorney, Alan Pincus, was denied a stay of the stewards’ revocation by the commission. He has requested a stay of that penalty from the Pennsylvania Commonwealth court, and could hear their decision as soon as Wednesday afternoon. He would then have to apply for a stay of the commission’s revocation order if Preciado decides to continue to fight the sanctions against him.
Pincus said he and Preciado are scheduled to talk Thursday about whether to take further legal action.
Preciado is scheduled to attend a stewards’ hearing at Parx on Thursday, regarding two additional clenbuterol positives he had in August.
Although Preciado’s license will be void Thursday, the commission has said they will allow him access to the grounds for seven days so he can disperse his 40-horse stable, according to Pincus,
Preciado, a former assistant to the late Robert Camac, is the younger brother of longtime Parx trainer Lupe Preciado. Ramon Preciado has been training on his own since 1994 and has 1,194 career wins. His horses have earned purses of $32.5 million.
Clenbuterol is a bronchodilator that has steroidal qualities and can help build muscle mass in horses.
