Trainer Todd Pletcher will serve a seven-day suspension beginning Tuesday. The suspension comes after Vassimo, a 3-year-old colt who most recently finished fourth in the Grade 2 Risen Star, tested positive for the corticosteroid medication betamethasone after his maiden victory at Gulfstream on Dec. 14.
The suspension was announced in a ruling posted Monday to the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit website. It was previously reported by Matt Hegarty of Daily Racing Form.
Pletcher will serve a seven-day suspension for the offense. Vassimo will be disqualified from the victory at Gulfstream, his connections forfeit the purse money, and Pletcher will be fined $1,000 and assessed 1.5 penalty points. The maximum was 15 days, but according to Hegarty's report, Pletcher's attorney Drew Mollica said Pletcher chose not to dispute the finding, and the suspension would be seven days as opposed to the longer maximum.
Betamethasone is a corticosteroid used in horses to control pain and inflammation from osteoarthritis. It is a common ingredient in joint injections. It is a controlled substance, meaning that it can be used when needed, but is prohibited within 14 days of a workout or 30 days of a race.
The finding is Pletcher's second positive in the last year, according to the HIWU database. In May 2024 Pletcher was fined $500 and given 1.5 penalty points after a positive for the controlled anti-inflammatory dexamethasone in his horse Give Me Kisses, detected after an optional-claiming allowance race at Aqueduct.
