Licensing issue has Ziadie in limbo

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Kirk Ziadie, Gulfstream Park’s leading trainer during the 2015 spring meet, may not be able to continue training his horses when the summer session begins Wednesday because of licensing issues with the state of Florida.

With the fiscal year in Florida and the spring meet ending Tuesday, all parimutuel employees must reapply for a new license beginning Wednesday. Ziadie reapplied for his 2015 license in May, but as of Monday the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering had yet to act on his renewal.

According to spokeswoman Chelsea Eagle, the division has 90 days from receipt of the renewal application to approve or deny the license. She said his license expires Tuesday, which would make him ineligible to train horses in Florida as of Wednesday.

Eagle would not say why the division has not acted on Ziadie’s application for license renewal, but cited a section of a Florida statute that states: “The division may deny, suspend, revoke, or declare ineligible any occupational license if the applicant for or holder thereof has violated the provisions of this chapter or the rules of the division governing the conduct of persons connected with racetracks and frontons.”

Ziadie had five clenbuterol positives prior to 2013, according to his attorney, Brad Beilly. Beilly said Ziadie has nine more clenbuterol positives pending. Beilly said he is contesting those positives, alleging procedural violations regarding the gathering of evidence.

“All the blood evidence in these cases was taken in violation of their own procedural manual,” Beilly said. “And the urine evidence was over two years old when they decided to re-test.”

Beilly alleges the state is misinterpreting its own license statute and that Ziadie’s license does not expire Tuesday. Rather, Beilly said, his license continues to be valid until the division decides whether to renew it.

Beilly also said the division is singling out Ziadie by failing to renew his license in a timely manner when other trainers who had similar clenbuterol rulings had no issues renewing their licenses.

“We are also alleging the state is treating him arbitrarily and different than other trainers who also had numerous positives but were allowed to settle up for $500 apiece,” he said.

Beilly said that if the division rules Ziadie’s license is not valid on July 1, he will appeal the ruling in court.

Ziadie entered one horse in his own name as trainer for Wednesday’s program and one, Starship Sulu, with Alfred McIntosh listed as trainer of record for Thursday’s card.

P.J. Campo, director of racing for track owner the Stronach Group and general manager of Gulfstream Park, said Monday that he’s been told by the state that if Ziadie’s license is not renewed by Wednesday, he must transfer all of his horses into another licensed trainer’s name. Campo said that as far as he knows, Ziadie is the only trainer whose license renewal has not been approved by the state.