Trainer Pearce Given 15-day Suspension for Clenbuterol

New Jersey stewards issued a 15-day suspension and $500 fine to trainer Penny Pearce after Royal Coup  tested positive for clenbuterol after winning the first race at Monmouth Park May 29.

The June 25 ruling, posted on the Association of Racing Commissioners International website, further disqualified Top Notch Racing's Royal Coup from victory. First place in the $75,000, first-level allowance race for New Jersey-breds had been worth $45,000. A 7-year-old gelding by Stephen Got Even , Royal Coup had crossed the wire first by a head at 5-1 odds.

The ruling cited Pearce for violations related to acts detrimental to racing, medication rules, and the trainer responsibility rule. Stewards noted she waived her right to a hearing.

Clenbuterol is a medication that can be used therapeutically to assist horses with respiratory difficulties. However, critics say the drug has been abused due to muscle development properties, leading many regulators and some racetracks to implement restrictions to curb its use beyond treating horses with lower airway disease.

Pierce is a multiple stakes-winning trainer with a 148-for-1,082 record since beginning her career in 2012. She is 18-for-75 this year while racing in the northeast.

Her suspension is scheduled to run from July 1-16.

She incurred two points under the Multiple Medication Violation Penalty System. Trainers are subject to mandatory penalties when they exceed a specified number of penalty points within a specified time frame.