Hearing on Justify's Santa Anita Derby victory rescheduled

A stewards hearing to determine whether Justify should be disqualified from his win in the 2018 Santa Anita Derby has been rescheduled for Oct. 29, a spokesman for the California Horse Racing Board said on Thursday.

The hearing, which was required as a result of a settlement the CHRB reached in a lawsuit filed by the owner-trainer of the second-place finisher in the race, was initially scheduled for Sept. 20. Mike Marten, a spokesman for the board, said that the hearing was postponed “to give both sides more time to prepare for the hearing.”

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The rescheduling was first reported by The Paulick Report.

Justify’s win in the $1 million race has been disputed by Mick Ruis, who owned and trained runner-up Bolt d’Oro, due to the finding of scopolamine in Justify’s post-race sample. The CHRB did not file a complaint of the finding because officials at the board ruled that the positive was due to accidental contamination. Scopolamine can be found in jimsonweed, which can contaminate feed and bedding.

Ruis sued the board earlier this year, claiming that CHRB regulations required Justify to be disqualified from the race due to the finding.