Intercontinental win upheld

A panel of California stewards on Wednesday upheld the victory by Intercontinental in the 2005 Palomar Breeders' Cup Handicap at Del Mar, saying in a written statement that Intercontinental was not given an advantage when she received a Lasix shot too close to post time.

The connections of the second-, third-, and fourth-place finishers in the Palomar filed a protest after it was discovered that a veterinarian had given Intercontinental a Lasix shot three hours and 40 minutes before post time. According to California Horse Racing Board regulations, Lasix is supposed to be given no later than four hours before post time.

Stewards Albert Christiansen, Martin Hamilton, and Darrel McHargue issued an 11-page decision, writing that Intercontinental "did not gain an unfair advantage when it raced with a late treatment of prerace bleeder medication."

In a June 5 hearing, Marsha Naify, the owner of the race's runner-up, Amorama; Jim Cassidy, the trainer of third-place finisher Ticker Tape; and Jim Ford, the owner of fourth-place finisher Katdogawn argued that state racing board rules were violated when Intercontinental was given Lasix within four hours of the race.

Attorney Steve Schwartz, who represented Juddmonte Farms, which owns Intercontinental, argued at the hearing that postrace urine tests taken from Intercontinental found Lasix levels were "what was expected to be found" and that the horse did not have "an unfair advantage."

Intercontinental has since been retired. The Palomar was a $200,000 turf race for fillies and mares.