Stewards Advance DQ Process for Masochistic

A procedural stewards hearing Dec. 30 regarding Masochistic's positive post-race test for stanozolol following the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) confirmed the 6-year-old Sought After gelding will be disqualified from his second-place finish in the $1.5 million race.

Masochistic, owned by Los Pollos Hermanos Racing and Jay Em Ess Stable, won't be officially disqualified until Santa Anita Park stewards Scott Chaney, Grant Baker, and Kim Sawyer issue a ruling, which will likely come Dec. 31.

With the ruling, Masochistic's connections will lose the $255,000 share of the Sprint purse. That share will be given to third-place finisher Mind Your Biscuits, and the rest of the field will similarly receive increased purse shares with their elevated placings from the Masochistic disqualification to last place.

Masochistic's connections—trainer Ron Ellis, jockey Mike Smith, and the owners—were all given notice of the hearing, according to California Horse Racing Board staff, but were not in attendance Friday at Santa Anita.

"Steve Schwartz, representing Ron Ellis, said they're not going to contest the DQ," CHRB investigator Jim Hamilton said at the hearing.

The CHRB Dec. 19 advised Santa Anita stewards to disqualify Masochistic following a positive test for the anabolic steroid stanozolol and/or its metabolite 16-hydroxy stanozolol in both blood and urine post-race samples.

The CHRB has not yet filed a complaint on Ellis for the positive. CHRB counsel Philip Laird and Hamilton said the investigation into the case is ongoing and that, to this point, it only involves Ellis.