Asmussen hearing now set for May

A stewards' hearing for trainer Steve Asmussen concerning a horse in his care who tested positive for lidocaine has been reset for May 12, more than a year after the filly in question, Timber Trick, won a maiden special weight race at Lone Star Park, on May 10, 2008.

Jean Cook, a spokesperson for the Texas Racing Commission, said the hearing would be held at Lone Star.

Over the past 10 months, the case has taken numerous twists and turns. In February, for example, a hearing was postponed after the commission's attorneys were reassigned to the case, which had been in the hands of the Texas attorney general's office.

The Texas attorney general's office took over the proceedings last summer when Asmussen's attorneys filed a petition in district court to obtain a blood sample and additional split-sample test data in advance of the original stewards' hearing, which had been scheduled for July.

In October, a judge ruled that she had no jurisdiction in the case and could not rule on the request of Asmussen's attorneys because without a stewards' ruling the case is still pending at the commission level. A stewards' hearing was then scheduled for Dec. 16. It was later pushed back to Feb. 10 at the request of Karen Murphy, an attorney representing Asmussen, and ultimately was postponed.

Lidocaine is a Class 2 medication violation.