The trainer of I'll Have Another – the winner of the 2012 Kentucky Derby and 2012 Preakness – has been handed a 45-day suspension and a 15 thousand dollar fine because of a horse's elevated level of carbon dioxide in 2010. From BloodHorse.com:
O'Neill has had three prior findings of excess TCO2 in horses under his care and could have faced a full 180-day suspension under current penalty guidelines in California.
The suspension will go into effect no sooner than July 1, so it should not affect I'll Have Another's chances of winning the 2012 Belmont Stakes – becoming horse racing's first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.
"I plan on examining and reviewing all of my options following the Belmont Stakes, but right now I plan on staying focused on preparing for and winning the Triple Crown," said O'Neill.
For more on the Belmont Stakes, please be sure to visit our blog And Down The Stretch They Come along with SB Nation New York.