Lasix case goes before stewards

The purse of the $200,000 Palomar Breeders' Cup Handicap at Del Mar last September should be redistributed after the winner, Intercontinental, was found to have been administered a Lasix shot too close to post time, the connections of three horses in the race argued Monday.

In a 35-minute hearing at Los Alamitos before stewards Albert Christiansen, Martin Hamilton, and Darrel McHargue, these connections - Marsha Naify, the owner of 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 California Horse 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, said that the timing of the Lasix shot did not give Intercontinental an "unfair advantage." He cited a postrace urine test taken from Intercontinental that found Lasix levels were "what was expected to be found."

Last October, veterinarian Amy Lee Nevens was fined $750 for filing a false veterinarian's report that indicated that the Lasix shot was administered at the proper time.

A decision is expected within a week, according to McHargue.