The New York Times' Joe Drape reports this morning that the day before he won the Kentucky Derby, trainer Rick Dutrow ran a horse at Churchill Downs that tested positive for twice the allowable level of clenbuterol, a drug that promotes muscle growth.
According to the Times report, the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority will rule Wednesday that Dutrow is suspended for 15 days and the horse's owners, Michael Dubb and Robert Joscelyn, must return the $20,000 Salut the Count won for finishing second in the stakes race.
“I was there all week and am responsible,” Dutrow told the Times. “I use that medication on many of my horses and only once can ever remember having a problem with it.”
John Veitch, chief steward for the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority, told the Times that "the level of clenbuterol found in Salute the Count was the highest he had seen in four years as chief steward."
What a loser.
If the industry is serious at all about cleaning up their sport, this clown is a perfect candidate for a high-profile expulsion from the business.
But Dutrow’s in a game where steroids are common. I’m certainly no fan of his, but to single him out as the “Barry Bonds of horse racing” ignores the larger issues.
It seems to me like the larger issue would go away if they would start booting the cheaters.
Letting people like Dutrow continue to cheat and cheat after little slaps on the wrists is the definition of ignoring the issue.
If MLB would have booted McGuire and Sosa and Bonds at their peaks of popularity, steroid usage in the league would have plummeted, IMO. Baseball brass just couldn’t take the risk of losing fans.
The racing industry must feel the same way. They think by outing all the cheaters the public will give up on the sport. It’s a shame. They’re just going to let the sport slowly erode from the inside.