Dutrow request denied by Kentucky commission

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Wednesday denied a request from trainer Rick Dutrow to withdraw his rejected license application, according to racing officials and Dutrow’s attorneys.

Dutrow was seeking to withdraw the application in order to vacate the commission’s decision to reject the license, according to one of his attorneys, Shelby C. Kinkead. The rejection has tainted Dutrow’s ability to obtain licenses in other racing jurisdictions, Kinkead said, because the rejection of a license application is typically taken into consideration when applicants apply for licenses in other states.

The decision is the latest in a string of developments affecting Dutrow’s ability to train and race his horses. In addition to the April decision by the Kentucky commission’s Licensing Review Committee to reject the application, Dutrow has declined to apply for a license in New Jersey, and last week he appeared in front of a hearing officer of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board to contest two suspensions totaling 90 days. The New York board is also considering the revocation of Dutrow’s racing license, which expires on Aug. 5.

Despite the decision to reject the request to withdraw the license, Kinkead said that Dutrow will continue to pursue an appeal of the licensing committee’s decision to deny the license.

In a June 7 letter to the racing commission, Dutrow’s attorneys had argued that the rejection was improper under Kentucky statutes requiring licensing commissions to adhere to the same standards from year to year. The letter also claimed that the commission’s Licensing Review Committee had failed to consider that Dutrow had appealed the New York suspensions when denying the license.