Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher faces a pending medication violation for the presence of the controlled substance betamethasone in a horse he trains, Vassimo , who won his debut Dec. 14 at Gulfstream Park in South Florida.
The pending Class C violation, posted to the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit website Feb. 12, has not been adjudicated. If Pletcher is found in violation and the case is resolved, the colt would be disqualified. Additionally, because Pletcher had a prior Class C violation for the presence of dexamethasone in the horse Give Me Kisses last year, he would face stiffer potential penalties than trainers having their first Class C violation.
Todd Pletcher at Gulfstream Park
According to Alexa Ravit, director of communications and outreach for HIWU, Pletcher’s sanction could be a period of ineligibility of up to 15 days, a fine of up to $1,000, and 1.5 penalty points. (HIWU uses penalty points to impose stiffer penalties on individuals with multiple violations.) A signed admission of a violation would reduce his ineligibility to seven days.
Vassimo, entered in the Feb. 15 Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots and competing on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, earned $24,000 in his Dec. 14 race for owner Team Penney Racing. The Nyquist colt later won an allowance optional claiming race at Tampa Bay Downs Jan. 17.
The corticosteroid betamethasone, primarily administered to horses in joint injections and permitted therapeutically outside of use before racing, was the prohibited race day medication that notably resulted in the disqualification of the Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit from the 2021 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs. Kentucky stewards also fined Baffert $7,500 and suspended him for 90 days, sanctions based on that case and other equine medication violations by the trainer at the time.
Baffert claimed Medina Spirit was exposed to the drug from an ointment that was applied to the colt for dermatitis.
The pending case for Pletcher for Vassimo does not affect the 3-year-old’s eligibility for the Risen Star Stakes.
Attorney Andrew Mollica, representing Pletcher, said he received a charge letter from HIWU Wednesday after being notified of the allegation earlier.
A trainer with a pending violation can either request a hearing before a member of HIWU’s Internal Adjudication Panel, reach a resolution with HIWU without going to a hearing, or sign an admission of the violation without going to a hearing.
Mollica noted how some of his other clients with HIWU equine drug cases, trainers Steve Klesaris and Juan Arriagada, chose not to sign such admissions in their unsuccessful bids to contest their violations. They did not “want to admit to something they didn’t do,” Mollica said of his other clients who felt their cases were caused by contamination.
Regarding Pletcher, Mollica said, “We’re gonna talk with all the parties, do our research, and act accordingly. Of course we’ll look at this internally, but we don’t believe that this is accurate, but again, we’re going to do our due diligence, look into it, and make a decision how to go forward.”
