Prominent Quarter Horse Trainer Suspended Three Months

Reprinted with permission from the Paulick Report–Quarter Horse trainer Clinton Crawford has been suspended for three months and fined $20,000 after two horses from his barn tested positive for ractopamine on consecutive nights at Remington Park this spring.

The penalties were detailed in an agreed order with the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission dated Sept. 17 and published on the public rulings database maintained by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI). Crawford’s suspension began Oct. 1 and runs through Dec. 31.

The positives came from Mystery V, who crossed the wire first in an April 9 allowance race, and EBW Fire Away, runner-up in an allowance the following night. Both horses tested positive for ractopamine in urine samples analyzed by Industrial Laboratories. Crawford requested confirmation testing, and the presence of ractopamine was confirmed in both samples.

Ractopamine, sometimes referred to as “pig juice” in racing circles, is a feed additive used to build muscle in some food-producing livestock, including swine. Oklahoma’s rules prohibit it and do not permit its use or set a threshold for racing Quarter Horses.

At a hearing on the cases, Crawford presented documentary evidence and expert testimony regarding feed contamination and mitigation. After the hearing, Crawford and the commission reached an agreed order stipulating that the two positive tests were not rebutted and that two prohibited-substance violations had occurred.

The order states that the negotiated suspension is not a finding that Crawford satisfied his burden under Oklahoma rules governing mitigation.

Crawford received a three-month suspension for each positive, with the suspensions to run concurrently, along with a total fine of $20,000.

Mystery V was disqualified from her April 9 allowance victory and ordered to forfeit the purse, and EBW Fire Away was disqualified from his second-place finish on April 10 and ordered to forfeit his purse earnings.

Neither Mystery V nor EBW Fire Away has raced since the starts that resulted in the positives. Both horses were placed on the stewards’ and/or veterinary lists for at least 180 days. They may be removed on or after Oct. 23, but their eligibility is not automatic: each must have blood collected and tested by Industrial Laboratories at the expense of the owner and/or trainer and must pass an examination by an OHRC official veterinarian before becoming eligible to enter again.

Crawford is currently ranked seventh nationally among Quarter Horse trainers by earnings. His resume includes more than 30 graded stakes victories since 2011, including the 2015 All American Futurity and 2016 Ruidoso Derby with Jess Good Candy. This year, Crawford has won two Grade 1 races with Toastin Heros.

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