Hammond gets 15-day suspension for lidocaine

Trainer Kim Hammond, a mainstay on the Midwest racing circuit, will serve a 15-day suspension after one of the horses in her care tested positive for lidocaine, a painkiller, following a recent win at Turfway Park, according to a stewards’ ruling.

The ruling states that Hammond received a 30-day suspension for the Class B drug violation, but that 15 days would be stayed provided that Hammond does not receive a Class A or Class B violation within the next year. The ruling said that Hammond waived her right to appeal the penalty.

The positive was detected in a post-race sample from the horse Floroplus after the 7-year-old gelding finished first in a claiming race on March 18 at Turfway. Floroplus had won a starter allowance at the track on March 5 and followed up the March 18 win with another victory in a starter allowance on March 26.

Lidocaine is a painkiller commonly included in human over-the-counter medications and that is frequently used when performing minor surgical procedures on horses.

Hammond said on Friday that she did not administer lidocaine to Floroplus but that her vet had told her that he had recently administered stitches to another horse. She said that she guessed that the positive was a result of contamination, but that it was easier to take the 15 days than to get bogged down in the appeal process.

“I could go in there and argue that it was contamination but it’s the type of drug where you get 15 days no matter what,” she said. “I was cooked either way.”

Hammond said that Floroplus had clean tests after both the March 5 and March 26 races.

Hammond has been training since 1980, operating a small stable. The lidocaine ruling cited her prior record in allowing 15 days of the suspension to be stayed; she has been issued several small fines for overages of therapeutic medications in the past 10 years.

Hammond, 63, has more races than any other female trainer with 2,331 victories from 15,298 starters, and earnings of $19 million.