Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Miller notified of positive drug test for Richard’s Boy
Richard’s Boy was placed first in the $200,000 Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup at Penn National on June 3 after the stewards disqualified Bold Thunder for fouling him in the stretch. Now, Richard’s Boy has a drug positive, and Bold Thunder could be reinstated as the winner.
Richard’s Boy is based at San Luis Rey Downs in Southern California with trainer Peter Miller. In his start prior to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup, Richard’s Boy won the Jim McKay Turf Sprint at Pimlico. In March, he finished fifth, beaten only 2 1/2 lengths, in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai.
Miller said he was recently notified that Richard’s Boy had tested positive for a trace level of methamphetamine. He has exercised his right to have a split sample tested. A written ruling on the positive has not yet been issued, pending the results of the split sample.
The medication violation is out of character for Miller, who said he has not had a positive test for a prohibited drug since he began training in 1987. Miller through Monday had 831 wins from 4,603 starters.
A 50-year-old native of Los Angeles, Miller was the leading trainer at the Santa Anita spring meet, which concluded Tuesday. He was second in the standings at the Santa Anita winter meet. He has won or shared seven other meet titles in Southern California since 2014.
“This is my first positive. It’s surprising and disappointing,” Miller said. “I don’t know what happened, but I know what didn’t happen. Neither me nor my crew administered this drug.”
Miller said the positive could be the result of contamination.
“Drugs are a societal problem nationwide, and I don’t think racing boards know how to deal with it,” Miller said. “But they need to come to grips with it. When you run a horse, he comes in contact with a lot of people – the assistant starters, the pony people, blacksmiths, the identifier. This situation has me scared, I’ll tell you that.”
Both Richard’s Boy and Bold Thunder are entered in the Grade 3 Parx Dash on Saturday. Miller said that after learning of the drug positive, he initially did not intend to return to Pennsylvania.
“My owner said, ‘You haven’t done anything wrong; we should go.’ ” Miller said. “I’m supposed to be safe. The track has agreed to provide 24/7 security for my horse. I tested him this week, and he tested clean, so we’re coming back to Pennsylvania.”
Bold Thunder will carry 124 pounds in the Parx Dash even though the Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup was his first start of the year and he is officially winless in 2017. Going by his past performances and the conditions of the race, he should get in at 119.
Sam Elliott, director of racing at Parx, said he had no choice but to give Bold Thunder 124.
“The Penn National stewards have informed the Parx stewards there is a dispute between the top two finishers in the Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup and that both have to be treated as winners for this race,” Elliott said.
Tom Chuckas, executive director of the Pennsylvania Racing Commission, did not return phone calls Monday or Tuesday regarding Richard’s Boy’s positive test.
Monmouth: Convivial impresses
Convivial turned in an eye-catching debut victory for Richard Santulli’s Colts Neck Stables and trainer Alan Goldberg on Saturday at Monmouth Park, rallying from far back to win a 1 1/16-mile turf maiden race by 2 1/4 lengths.
Convivial threw his head after the start when a rival came into his path and dropped three or four lengths behind the second-to-last horse in the 10-horse field. He commenced an extended rally on the backstretch, was fanned very wide into the stretch under Jose Lezcano, and finished in a style suggesting good things lie ahead. He earned a 77 Beyer Speed Figure.
“We’ll probably take him to Saratoga and look for an allowance race going long,” Goldberg said.
A 3-year-old son of turf champion English Channel, Convivial is out of the mare Social Queen, who won the Grade 3 Gallorette and Grade 3 Eatontown for Santulli and Goldberg. Convivial is a half-brother to Force the Pass, a winner of the Penn Mile, Belmont Derby Invitational, and more than $1.2 million.
“We had his mom, his brother, and his sister,” Goldberg said. “He showed he could run, but he was always big and kind of green. I wasn’t sure if he would need a race or not.”
Convivial was in training at Palm Meadows last winter but missed some time when he needed to have a chip removed from his right hind ankle, Goldberg said.
Laurel: Rose Brier retired
Rose Brier, who was transferred to trainer Jane Cibelli as a 4-year-old maiden in 2013 and went on to win 14 races and more than $527,000, has been retired, it was announced Wednesday.
Rose Brier, an 8-year-old gelded son of Mizzen Mast, won four Virginia-bred stakes at Laurel Park and Pimlico over the years. He also won the open Henry Clark Stakes at Laurel in April 2016. He scored his most important win last November at Gulfstream Park West in the Grade 3 Tropical Turf Handicap.
Rose Brier made 36 of his 40 starts on turf. In his final start at Laurel on June 24, he finished second, beaten a nose, in the Edward Evans, a one-mile turf stakes for Virginia-breds.