Royal Ascot trainer banned and fined after winning horse fails drug test
LEADING Royal Ascot trainer Wesley Ward has been suspended for 15 days and fined $2,000 after one of his horses tested positive for a banned drug at Monmouth Park.
The horse in question is Insanity It Seems, who won the race at the New Jersey track on July 15 2022.
PAWesley Ward has caught the wrath of the US stewards once again[/caption]
The evidentiary hearing happened on February 28 of this year and the New Jersey Racing Commission issued a 15-day suspension from June 23.
Ward was also fined $2,000, while Insanity It Seems was disqualified from the race and the purse money was ordered to be redistributed.
The horse tested positive for a pair of banned substances, naproxen and metformin.
Metformin is used to treat type 2 diabetes by decreasing the glucose absorbed from food, while also increasing the body’s response to insulin.
Naproxen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, which can be bought over the counter.
It’s not the first time Ward has been stung by a positive metformin test, as he was slapped with a 30-day suspension in Kentucky in 2021.
Averley Jane tested positive for the drug after competing in the $150,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes at Churchill Downs.
He served 15 days of that ban, with 15 days deferred provided he didn’t return another positive test with 365 days.
Ward recently had runners at Royal Ascot, a meeting he’s had plenty of success at down the years.
It was another blank year for him, however, as none of his runners managed to break into the top ten of their races.
American Rascal, who had been touted as a potential superstar, was the biggest disappointment, finishing last but one in the Norfolk Stakes.
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