Cases Involving New York Horsemen Continued

New York regulators have remanded for another hearing cases against trainer Anthony Dutrow and owner-breeder-trainer Peter Kazamias involving a 2009 race at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The New York State Gaming Commission on June 25 broke to meet in a private, quasi-judicial deliberation to consider the cases against the two licensees and, in a subsequent brief public discussion, said the matter was being sent back for a rehearing. Officials said the decision was based largely on procedural grounds.

The two cases had been consolidated into one because they share a lawyer and there is overlapping testimony in the matter, state officials have said. The commission on May 27 had previously deferred deciding the case.

The matter involves a possible total carbon dioxide (TC02) overage in the horse Mambo Fever. According to the Jockey Club Information Systems, in her only start at Aqueduct that year the daughter of Stormin Fever   finished second in the Tempted Stakes on Nov. 7.

The board also okayed a number of rules affecting just the Standardbred industry in New York, including finalizing a regulation pertaining to out-of-competition drug testing and continuation of a rule permitting use of cell phones in specially designated areas of a harness racing paddock or receiving barn.

"The need for trainers to be able to communicate from the paddock is unique to harness racing because trainers or their assistants are required to spend at least one hour in the paddock prior to post time,'' states an NYSGC document supporting continuation of the cell phone rule.