3 minute read

Two Californian trainers have experienced unhappy times of late.

Peter Miller has announced that he is stepping aside from training – he describes it as a "hiatus" and that his assistant, Ruben Alvarado, will take over after 29th November.  Miller has received numerous sanctions from the California Horse Racing Board and 6 horses in his care have died this year.

Jerry Hollendorfer has been banned from racing at the Stronach tracks at Santa Anita and Golden Gate and had his appeal to the courts for an injunction to let him horses in the next Santa Anita season denied.  Hollendorfer has a trial coming up on 22 February and the court considered that he should have made this appeal earlier.

The other trainer under a cloud in California is Bob Baffert who is banned from Churchill Downs and New York racing after Medina Spirit failed a drugs test after crossing the line first in the Kentucky Derby.  Baffert was allowed to race horses at the recent  Breeders' Cup at Del Mar which was not surprising as six of the board had horses with him and other board members had other connections with him.