CHRB Cites O'Neill Over Possible Medication Violation

The California Horse Racing Board has issued a complaint against trainer Doug O'Neill, alleging that one of his runners was possibly "given an illegal substance to a horse that had been entered in a race" by someone at Los Alamitos Race Course this summer.

The complaint, dated Oct. 22 and posted this week on the CHRB website, states that on July 5 "investigators received information from Los Alamitos track security steward, Michael Kilpack, regarding seeing someone at trainer Doug O'Neill's barn possibly giving an illegal substance to a horse that had already been entered in a race at LARC (Los Alamitos). Investigators conducted a barn inspection at trainer Doug O'Neill's barn, #14W (stalls 20- 25), at LARC.

"During the barn inspection, investigators did not observe any pre-race 'Detention Stall Sign' posted on any of the stalls prior to the post time of the race for which the horses were entered. Investigators interviewed assistant trainer Sabas Rivera. Rivera stated he had given 'Bleeder Shield' and 'Un-Lock' to the horses yesterday, which was 24 hours prior to race."

Online websites advertise Bleeder Shield as a respiratory bleeding preventative for horses and Un-Lock as an amino acid muscle supplement that reduces lactic acid and prevents horses from tying up.

A hearing in the matter has been scheduled before stewards Dec. 2, according to Mike Marten, spokesperson for the CHRB.

O'Neill, on-site Nov. 2 at Del Mar, where he is preparing Hot Rod Charlie  for the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 5, issued a statement, saying: "I have only just learned of this matter, which is alleged to have occurred four months ago. I always take responsibility for the horses in my care, and if there has been any rule infraction, the buck stops here."

The complaint did not identify the horse, nor does the complaint state whether the horse competed or was scratched. O'Neill ran five horses at Los Alamitos July 5, none of whom won.

Unlike most other regulators in the U.S., the CHRB currently reports complaints on its website, while others largely report only rulings after hearings. Complaints have not been adjudicated by track stewards, and a ruling only follows a formal hearing. Some complaints are dismissed.

On March 6, the CHRB suspended O'Neill for 10 days and fined him $7,500 after one of his trainees tested positive for lidocaine in the fall of 2020 at Santa Anita Park.  The CHRB stayed an additional 20 days of suspension provided O'Neill does not have class 1, 2, or 3 medication violations within a year of the ruling.

The 53-year-old trainer is a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1), first in 2012 with I'll Have Another   and then in 2016 with Nyquist  . He has won five Breeders' Cup races, most recently with Nyquist in the 2015 Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1).