Sadler to serve 15-day suspension as part of stipulated agreement

Prominent California trainer John Sadler has been fined $15,000 and suspended 15 days from Monday through July 13 as part of a stipulated agreement with the California Horse Racing Board after three of his runners tested positive for prohibited medications in the spring of 2019.

Sadler was suspended 60 days, but 45 days of the suspension – from July 14-Aug. 29 are stayed, provided Sadler does not have any violations for medications in Classes 1, 2, or 3 through June 28, 2021.

Sadler, 63, did not return a phone call Sunday. During the suspension, Sadler is denied access to racetracks during training and racing. The suspension covers the final four racing days of the Los Alamitos summer meeting, Thursday through Sunday, and the opening weekend of the Del Mar summer meeting, which begins July 10.

The stable has one runner at Los Alamitos on Thursday in Meso, who is racing in the name of Sadler’s assistant, Juan Leyva.

According to a ruling issued Sunday by Los Alamitos stewards Luis Jauregui, Kim Sawyer, and Tom Ward, the terms of the penalties were part of a settlement agreement with the racing board.

The positives were found in two horses that raced at Santa Anita and one at Golden Gate Fields.

Field Bet, who finished fifth in a $50,000 claimer for maidens on April 14, 2019, at Santa Anita, and Jasikan, who finished third in the Singletary Stakes on April 28, 2019, at Santa Anita, tested positive for gabapentin, a pain medication.

Sneem, who won a maiden special weight on May 10, 2019, at Golden Gate Fields, tested positive for the bronchodilator clenbuterol.

The horses that tested positive will be disqualified, and purses for those races will be redistributed later this summer, according to Los Alamitos stewards.

Through Sunday, Sadler ranked 10th in the nation with stable earnings of $2,553,094. At the six-month Santa Anita winter-spring meeting that ended June 21, Sadler was tied for fifth with 18 wins, including five stakes wins.