Horsemen continue to fail breath analyzer test

In this day and age of harness racing one would think that it would be a rare occurrence for a horseperson to fail the breathalyzer test, but there are two reported cases last week in the United States.

Thomas Jackson at Pocono Downs failed the test and received a $500 fine and a five-day suspension. Andre Nared also failed the test in Ohio and received a $500 fine.

If someone fails a test for substance abuse, they usually must attend a rehab program. So, why if someone fails a breathalyzer test, they don’t they have to attend a rehab program for that?

Another noteworthy fine include Bryson Dunning at Harrah’s Philadelphia, who was fined $500 and lost his pari-mutuel driver’s license for a careless effort in a race. His conditions to get his pari-mutuel license back make for good reading as he must 1. Drives at least 20 “satisfactory” qualifying races (a minimum of ten must be in front of the judges at Harrah’s Philadelphia). 2. Is issued no rulings for driving violations during this time. 3. Gathers and submits letters of recommendation of at least six drivers from Harrah’s Philadelphia. Since there is no drivers’ committee at Harrah’s Philadelphia, the drivers eligible to submit such a recommendation must be in the top twelve of the Harrah’s Philadelphia drivers’ standings.

Why there is no drivers’ committee at Harrah’s Philadelphia raises some questions too.

To review all the fines and suspensions from last week, click here.

by Steve Wolf, for Harnesslink