The New York Gaming Commission has thrown out a 60-day suspension handed down by New York Racing Association stewards to trainer Eduardo Jones, in a vote that supported a hearing officer’s conclusion that allegations that Jones acted as a “front trainer” were unfounded. The commission voted 4-0 on Thursday to accept the hearing officer’s recommendation to overturn the penalty, which was issued 12 months ago. Stewards had alleged that Jones acted as a program trainer for the horse Tanya’s Gem, who won a race in September of that year at Belmont under Jones’ name, then finished second and fifth in two subsequent races at Belmont in October. Jones immediately appealed the penalty, and his appeal was heard over four days in March and April, according to commission staff. The hearing officer issued his report on Nov. 14, and he recommended that the suspension and a $5,000 fine be rescinded, and that the disqualifications of Tanya’s Gem in the three races be reversed. The disqualifications cost Tanya’s Gem $43,500 in purse earnings. Tanya’s Gem was shipped back and forth from Penn National between the September start at Belmont. At Penn National, she was trained by Paulina Sinnefia. Jones had said when the penalty was announced that the mare was shipped back to Penn National after the September race because he did not have stall space in New York. * Also at the gaming commission meeting on Thursday, commission chairman John Crotty directed staff of the commission to speak with the state’s jockey colony and with officials of other racing jurisdictions in the U.S. about the possibility of adopting restrictions on the use of the whip in a race, potentially along the lines of new restrictions that are going through the approval process in California. Those restrictions would sharply limit the number of times and the manner with which the whip could be used to make contact with a horse. Crotty also directed the commission to speak with officials of the New York Racing Association on its plans to implement restrictions on the raceday use of the diuretic furosemide, commonly known as Lasix. NYRA officials have previously said that they support rules that would prohibit the use of Lasix on raceday for 2-year-olds beginning next year, with the ban extended to all stakes races in 2021. Last week, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission endorsed a proposal along those same lines, and the rule is currently going through an approval process.