Trainer Chatterpaul fined; veterinarian fined, suspended

ELMONT, N.Y. – The New York stewards suspended veterinarian Carl E. Juul-Nielsen 20 days and fined him $2,500 for falsifying records for the horse Street Shark, who was scratched from the first race at Aqueduct on March 19.

Further, the stewards fined Street Shark’s trainer, Naipaul Chatterpaul, for working the horse the same morning that he was scratched, supposedly due to a bout of colic.

According to state steward Steve Lewandowski, Juul-Nielsen provided a veterinary record stating that he injected Street Shark with a shot of Flunixin (banamine) on the morning of the race. When the horse showed up on the work tab that same morning, investigators ordered blood to be taken from the horse to be tested.

Lewandowski said the test “could not detect” the presence of banamine in Street Shark’s system.

Having waived his right of appeal, five days of the suspension were stayed provided Juul-Nielsen does not have another violation in the next 180 days.

Street Shark was credited with a half-mile work in 50 seconds from the starting gate on the Belmont Park training track on the morning of March 19.

For that, the stewards fined Chatterpaul $2,500 because he engaged in an improper practice by breezing Street Shark “when it was deemed unfit to race by your veterinarian and subsequently treated for colic,’’ according to the ruling, which further stated “as trainer of record, you failed to act responsibility in regard to such horse and in a manner detrimental to the best interest of racing.”

Lewandowski said the investigation could not determine whether the horse did or did not have colic.