Jacobson suspended for 15 days

Trainer David Jacobson is serving a 15-day suspension issued by the Maryland Racing Commission after one of his horses tested positive for an overage of phenylbutazone, an anti-inflammatory, found in his system after winning a race last month a Laurel Park.

An excess level of the drug was found in the post-race blood samples of Midwatch, who won the first race at Laurel on Sept. 23. The horse was disqualified and ordered unplaced in the order of finish by the Maryland stewards.

Jacobson began his suspension on Oct. 11 and it runs through Sunday. Jacobson trains primarily for his brother Douglas's Jacobson Racing Stable. Jacobson's horses will run under the name of trainer Diane Balsamo, who won Sunday's second race at Belmont with African King, owned by Jacobson Racing.

In 1982, David Jacobson, the son of longtime leading New York trainer Buddy Jacobson, was forced to surrender his trainer's license to the state after he was charged with "failing to provide adequate food and medical attention" to the horse Hugable Tom, who was euthanized on Sept. 28, 1981. Jacobson went into the real estate business and returned to training horses in the summer of 2007 at Saratoga.

Since his return, Jacobson has won 142 races from 909 starters including 43 races this year.At the current Belmont fall meet, Jacobson has 4 wins, 7 seconds, and 5 thirds from 24 starters.