Drug positive costs Big Book purse money for Fleet Treat win

ARCADIA, Calif. – The purse of the $192,000 Fleet Treat Stakes at Del Mar on July 25 has been ordered redistributed after race winner Big Book tested in excess of the permitted level of the tranquilizer acepromazine, according to a statement released by the California Horse Racing Board.

Big Book earned $110,000 for winning the seven-furlong race for 3-year-old California-bred fillies in her stakes debut. The winner’s share will be redistributed to the second- through sixth-place finishers in the field of six – Kiss at Midnight, Sheer Pleasure, Missy Mouse, Ashley’s Sassy, and Patsy G and Me.

The positive was detected in a urine sample taken from the filly, who races for breeder George Krikorian, a member of the racing board, and trainer Tim Yakteen.

Yakteen might face a sanction in the form of a suspension or fine. A hearing has not been scheduled. In a brief interview, Yakteen said on Wednesday that he was unsure whether he would contest the case.

“My stable record and my recollection indicate I did not administer acepromazine to Big Book,” Yakteen wrote in a text message on Wednesday. “However, I respect and understand the CHRB policy regarding automatic disqualification for the substance. In the future, we will tighten our procedure.”

Big Book has started once since the Fleet Treat Stakes, finishing second in the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 30.