Dandy gets 30 days for positive

EAST BOSTON, Mass. - Ron Dandy, the dominant trainer in New England, who earlier this year won his 2,000th race, was suspended for 30 days by the New Hampshire Pari-Mutuel Commission after one of his horses, Nannie's Sword, tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine.

Paul Kelley, executive director of the New Hampshire Pari-Mutuel Commission, said that four other positive tests for cocaine would be announced in the next 24 to 48 hours. He declined to mention the specific trainers involved.

Dandy, 53, has won the training title at Suffolk Downs for eight straight seasons and holds more than 20 titles across the region over a 25-year career. This is the first time he has been suspended for a positive drug test, and he is expected to appeal. Nannie's Sword was disqualified from her win in an allowance race Sept. 1 at Rockingham Park.

The commission "should be investigated," Dandy said. "This is a big slap in the face to a lot of us. It's an embarrassment."