RMTC
By Paulick Report Staff
Trainer Rudy Rodriguez and veterinarian Greg Bennett were each fined $3,000 by the New York State Gaming Commission for administering a drug to the horse Sage Valley outside the permitted time frame.
According to a report in the Daily Racing Form, the fine was reduced to $1,500 for both men after they waived their right of appeal.
Bennett admitted administering the drug glycopyrrolate, also known as Rubinol, to Sage Valley 72 hours out from his race Dec. 10, 2014, at Aqueduct. According to regulations, the drug cannot be administered within 96 hours of a race.
Sage Valley finished fourth in the race but collapsed soon after crossing the wire and died. The commission discovered the violation while investigating the cause of death, which was determined to be cardiovascular collapse. According to Bennett, the drug was not found to be in the horse’s system.
“Rudy had quite a few horses coughing and snotting in the barn, and he was near them,” Bennett said in a statement. “I was under the assumption it was a 72-hour [drug]. It was an error in judgment on my part, strictly my mistake, nothing to reflect on Rudy.”
