Trainer Linda Rice has received a stay of a 14-day suspension she received last week from the New York State Gaming Commission due to an overage of the regulated painkiller phenylbutazone in a horse that ran in January of this year. According to a ruling from the commission, the Rice-trained Afleet Arlene tested positive for an excessive concentration of phenylbutazone after winning the fourth race on Jan. 21 at Aqueduct. Phenylbutazone, commonly known as Bute, is not permissible to administer within 48 hours of a race and is regulated by a threshold level. Rice served a 10-day suspension earlier this year for a different overage of Bute, in a horse that ran on Jan. 7 at Aqueduct. She did not appeal that penalty, which was handed down in mid-February. At that time, she acknowledged that Alfeet Arlene also had tested positive for Bute despite being administered the drug more than 48 hours prior to post time, and she said that she would likely contest any penalty in that case. “I might send it to a lab because frankly I’m tired of what’s going on here with Bute,” Rice said at the time. “I’ve been training at Belmont Park for 30 years. I’ve never had a Bute overage, ever.” Afleet Arlene was disqualified from the race, and Rice was also fined $2,500. Because the alleged violation occurred prior to the May 22 onset of new rules governing racing violations that are enforced by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit, the NYGSC is responsible for the adjudication of the case through its ultimate resolution. The Sept. 28 ruling was issued five days prior to a NYSGC meeting on Tuesday in which the commission is set to consider a judge’s ruling that a three-year suspension handed down to Rice in June 2021 on charges of “conduct detrimental to racing” was “entirely unwarranted.” The commission will have the option of assessing a new penalty in the case. The charges were based on allegations that Rice had improper access to the names and past performances of horses who were entered in races that Rice was targeting for her own horses, during a four-year period from 2011-15. Rice appealed the gaming commission’s ruling, which was handed down after a lengthy hearing, leading to the judge’s ruling for reconsideration of the suspension. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.