Appellate court upholds Dutrow 10-year ban

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Albany, NY (Sports Network) - A 10-year ban versus trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. has been upheld by the State of New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division Third Judicial Department. The unanimous decision came the day before the opening of the 2012 race meeting at Saratoga Race Course.

In its ruling the court said, "We conclude that the revocation of petitioner's license for a period of at least 10 years and the imposition of a fine was not so disproportionate to his proven, recurrent misconduct as to shock one's sense of fairness."

Dutrow was given the ban last year by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board. The board had ruled that Dutrow's training license be revoked and he cannot reapply for 10 years. He was also banned from all New York racetracks for 10 years.

Dutrow, who saddled Big Brown to win the 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, was cited for having various rules violations in many jurisdictions and suspended or fined almost every year since 2000 for medication violations.

The New York investigation goes back to November 20, 2010 when a Dutrow horse had a tainted urine sample. The painkiller butorphanol showed up in a sample and a 90-day suspension followed.

Dutrow had appealed the 90-day suspension and also appealed the 10-year ban. The trainer will now proceed with an appeal to the Court of Appeals, New York State's highest court.