P'Pool v. Indiana Horse Racing Commission

916 N.E.2d 668, 2009 Ind. App. LEXIS 2204, 2009 WL 3489840
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 6, 2009
Docket45A04-0812-CV-757
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 916 N.E.2d 668 (P'Pool v. Indiana Horse Racing Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
P'Pool v. Indiana Horse Racing Commission, 916 N.E.2d 668, 2009 Ind. App. LEXIS 2204, 2009 WL 3489840 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

OPINION

ROBB, Judge.

Case Summary and Issues

Mark P'Pool appeals the trial court's order affirming the decision of the Indiana Horse Racing Commission ("IHRC"), which imposed a six-year suspension and $30,000 fine upon P'Pool for violations of IHRC rules. For our review, P'Pool purports to raise a single issue, whether he was denied due process during the IHRC proceedings, based on nine alleged errors delineated below. Concluding the IHRC's decision is supported by substantial evidence, the penalty imposed is not excessive or arbitrary, P'Pool was not denied due - process, and the ALJ did not improperly exclude evidence, we affirm.

*671 Facts and Procedural History

P'Pool is a licensed owner/trainer/driver with the IHRC. Several horses trained by P'Pool competed in the Spring 2006 stan-dardbred horse racing meet at Hoosier Park. During the Spring 2006 meet, the IHRC began testing horses for the presence of the drug Dexamethasone ("Dex"). Dex is a prescription corticosteroid, which is used as an anti inflammatory. However, studies have indicated that the use of Dex just prior to racing may have a calming or euphoric effect on a horse and may impact the horse's performance. The Association of Racing Commissioners International ("ARCI") classifies Dex as a Class 4 drug. See Uniform Classification Guidelines for Foreign Substances, http://www.arci.com/ druglisting.pdf. IHRC rules do not prohibit the use of Class 4 medications, including Dex; however, Dex may not be administered to a horse within twenty-four hours of a race. See 71 Ind. Admin. Code 8-1-1(b). Dex is a fast-acting medication, which generally clears a horse's system after twenty-four hours. A drug test showing a level of Dex greater than two to three nanograms per milliliter in urine or 0.2 nanograms per milliliter in blood indicates Dex was administered to the horse within the previous twenty-four hours.

The following horses trained by P'Pool tested positive for the presence of Dex after completing their races with the following urine and blood levels:

Urine Level

Blood Level

Date Horse (ng/ml) (ng/ml)

4/19/06 Pathway's Strength 26 0.5 1

4/19/06 Band of Brothers 17 0.9 2

4/21/06 Just An Icon N 6.6 1.9 3

4/26/06 Victory Lane 8 0.8 4

5/18/06 Pocket John 16 21

5/27/06 Just An Icon N 30 5 N/A

6/1/06 Spiritual Warfare 14 1.9

6/8/06 Simple As ABC 50 2.6

6/9/06 Bluebird Wanda 9.7 1.1

6/10/06 Sand Flying Dragon 18.7 2.8

6/18/06 Ruby's Z Tam 11 1.1

The level of Dex in each test indicated it had been administered within twenty-four hours of the respective horse's race. In addition to testing positive for Dex, Pathway's Strength tested positive for Methyl-prednisolone, a Class 4 corticosteroid, and Clenbuteral, a Class 3 bronchodilator. Sand Flying Dragon also tested positive for Methylprednisolone, and Bluebird Wanda tested positive for EPO, a Class 2 synthetic hormone that stimulates red blood cell production.

On June 11, 2006, having receiving the first five positive tests, IHRC executive director Joe Gorajee interviewed P'Pool. Gorajec did not mention the positive Dex tests because he wanted to investigate the full extent of Dex use among all horsemen and did not want to tip off others to the Dex testing. Gorajec specifically asked whether PPool had "administered any drugs of any kind to any of the horses that have participated in the 2006 Hoosier Park meet." App. of Appellee at 221. Gorajee also asked what "non-injectables" P'Pool *672 had administered to his horses and whether P'Pool had used "anything ... that would be a drug." Id. at 221-22. P'Pool mentioned that he had given horses bute paste 6 and oral antibiotics, but he did not mention administering Dex, Methlypredni-solone, or EPO. At the conclusion of the interview, Gorajee handed P'Pool a letter requesting that P'Pool send him "medication records for all horses that you currently train (or have trained in 2006) that have competed at the 2006 Spring Hoosier Park standardbred horse racing meet," including all veterinary and non-veterinary treatments. Id. at 320. In response, P'Pool submitted several pages of veterinary records and an email describing his use of bute paste or pills, oral antibiotics, and a feed supplement. None of the veterinary records mention the use of Dex, Methylprednisolone, or EPO.

On June 23, 2006, having received two additional positive tests Gorajee conducted a second interview with P'Pool. Gorajee informed P'Pool that one of his horses had tested positive for Dex and asked P'Pool if he could explain the result,. P'Pool responded that he mixed Dex or Azium 7 with DMSO 8 to make a "leg paint," which he applied to his horses' knees, hocks, and ankles. Id. at 264. PPool explained that he often wraps the area with cotton and saran wrap in order to "sweat" the medication into the legs. Id. P'Pool stated that he buys the leg paint pre-made from veterinarians by the pint or the gallon; however, he could not specifically name any veterinarians who had sold him the leg paint or recall how often he purchased leg paint. At the conclusion of the second interview, Gorajee advised P'Pool of his right to request split sample testing to confirm the positive tests. P'Pool requested split sample testing for Band of Brothers. A lab at Louisiana State University conducted the test and found Dex in the urine sample at a level of 60.1 ng/ml.

On July 7, 2006, Gorajee conducted a third interview. Gorajee asked P'Pool to provide a detailed explanation of his leg paint application and preparation process. P'Pool described two recipes for combining Dex and DMSO to create the leg paint. At the conclusion of the third interview, Gorajee gave P'Pool written notice of a disciplinary hearing before the IHRC's racing judges on July 13, 2006, for charges of administering Dex to Pocket John, Just An Icon N (second positive test), and Spiritual Warfare 9 and making false statements to the IHRC.

Using the information supplied by P'Pool and two other trainers under investigation, the IHRC commissioned a scientific study (the "Purdue Study") designed by the IHRC chief veterinarian and conducted at Purdue University's School of Veterinary Medicine to determine whether administering Dex combined with DMSO in leg paint would result in detectable levels of Dex in blood and urine samples. The Purdue study used several concentrations of Dex, including one with double the amount of Dex than P'Pool indicated was *673 contained in his leg paints.

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916 N.E.2d 668, 2009 Ind. App. LEXIS 2204, 2009 WL 3489840, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ppool-v-indiana-horse-racing-commission-indctapp-2009.