Saratoga: Centre Court may try Lake Placid

Centre Court, who overcame some bumping and a bit of traffic to win Wednesday’s Grade 2 Lake George Stakes by a neck, could return in the Grade 2, $200,000 Lake Placid Stakes here Aug. 19, trainer Rusty Arnold said.

Arnold’s major goal with Centre Court is the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth at Keeneland in early October.

“She’ll have one more race between now and then,” said Arnold, who trains Centre Court for owner/breeder G. Watts Humphrey. “It’ll either be the Lake Placid or something else. If she’s good, it’ll be here. That’ll give me six weeks to the Queen Elizabeth.”

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Arnold said Centre Court came out of the race with a few scrapes, but nothing serious. She defeated Better Lucky by a neck for her third straight victory.

Rodriguez suspended, fined

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez was suspended 15 days and fined $2,500 for the finding of the drug flunixin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, in the post-race samples of Heiden, who won the 11th race at Aqueduct on April 7.

Rodriguez has appealed the suspension and will be able to continue to train until the appeal is heard.

Heiden was disqualified from first and ordered unplaced in the order of finish. His owner, Michael Dubb, forfeits the $13,200 first-place purse.

Two other trainers were recently handed penalties by the stewards.

Gary Sciacca was fined $500 and suspended 15 days for being deemed the aggressor in an altercation with fellow trainer Doodnauth Shivmangal at Belmont Park on July 6. The 15 days will be stayed pending no further acts of aggression through July 6, 2013.

Lastly, trainer David Jacobson was fined $1,500 for a claiming violation. Jacobson put in a claim for Metaurus on July 14, but could not claim that horse because one of the owners in that horse was someone for whom Jacobson currently trains.

The fine was reduced from $3,000, provided Jacobson does not violate these same claiming rules for one calendar year.