Asmussen gets $1,000 fine

Trainer Steve Asmussen has been fined $1,000 after a horse he trains, Shang, tested positive for the hypertension drug Atenolol after running third in last July’s $250,000 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows, according to a ruling from track stewards.

Shang was disqualified from the race and placed last as a result of the positive. Although the horse finished third under the line in the Iowa Derby, he was elevated to second due to interference in the stretch.

The ruling was first reported Tuesday by Thoroughbred Daily News.

Atenolol is a beta-blocker commonly prescribed to humans with heart problems. The drug is a Class 3, Penalty B substance in the RCI Classification system, which typically calls for a 15-day suspension for the trainer for a first offense, “absent mitigating circumstances.”

According to the ruling, Asmussen’s attorney Clark Brewster argued in a hearing conducted telephonically on May 15 this year that the drug positive could be traced to a person in close contact with the horse. The ruling stated that the drug was found in an “extremely low” concentration, and that “there was substantial persuasive evidence provided showing Atenolol can be an environmental substance.”

“The board believes it was an inadvertent exposure, and not a deliberate administration,” the ruling stated. It went on to note that Altenolol is not a regulated medication under racing’s drug classification system, necessitating the disqualification of the horse.

Brewster did not return a phone call Wednesday.