Owners John Fanelli and Longball Stables have finally received some good news surrounding their tumultuous claim of the 5-year-old gelding Deplane .
Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit spokesperson Alexa Ravit said March 14 that there was a misinterpretation of Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority regulations and that Fanelli and Longball will not have to forfeit purse money of $4,928 from Deplane’s Feb. 14 third-place finish in the ninth race at Parx Racing.
The connections claimed Deplane Feb. 6 out of a winning effort and ran him back in six days, elevating him in claim price from $7,500 to $25,000. Subsequently, the connections learned that Deplane was facing disqualification in the Feb. 6 race because of an overage of the banned substance cobalt. They were told that Deplane could not race for six months dating back to the Feb. 6 race and as a result they would lose the Feb. 14 purse.
As it turns out, the rule stipulates that while Deplane cannot run in HISA jurisdictions for six months, there was no provision calling for a disqualification in a race prior to the announcement of the failed drug test.
Results of the drug test were announced Feb. 23.
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“That’s great news,” Fanelli said. “It’s a positive. By letting us keep the purse, they are not punishing the wrong people in this case.”
