LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Kentucky Horse Racing Commission stewards have suspended Louisville-based trainer Brad Cox for 10 days and fined him $500 for a drug positive from the 2021 Stephen Foster Stakes.
A post-race lab test found the drug phenylbutazone at a level of 2.51 micrograms per milliliter in the blood of Warriors Charge, the second-place finisher in the race. The anti-inflammatory drug is permitted on race days but only in concentrations at or below 0.3 micrograms per milliliter.
The infraction is a Class C violation on the KHRC drug schedule, with Class A being the most severe and D being the least.
The 10-day suspension and $500 fine is in line with KHRC penalty guidelines. Cox and the horse’s owners waived the right to a formal stewards hearing and will abide by the sanctions. Warriors Charge has been disqualified and his purse money forfeited, but wagering from the race is not affected.
Warriors Charge (No. 6, center), trained by Brad Cox, finishing second in the 2021 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs.
In a text message response, Cox said, “We were completely shocked with these lab results due to the fact that this medication was administered within the strict guidelines that are set in place. Having said that, while we disagree with the results, I have to own it and accept responsibility. Moving forward, I am committed to industry leading protocols which hopefully [will] prevent this from happening again.”
Cox won the 2021 Kentucky Derby with Mandaloun after the Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit was disqualified following a positive test for betamethasone. The Hall of Famer trainer and the courts owners have mounted legal challenges to a 2-year suspension handed down by Churchill Downs.
Cox’s suspension means that no horses trained by him can race in Kentucky during the term of the suspension, which runs from May 23 to June 1, unless he transfers them to another trainer. Cox told the Thoroughbred Daily News that he has no plans to transfer any of his horses at this time.
Cox does not have a horse entered in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes.
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