Trainer Justin Clark suspended six months for clenbuterol positives

Trainer Justin Clark has been suspended six months and fined $1,500 after two of his runners tested positive for the prohibited medication clenbuterol in races at Los Alamitos in January.

The suspension began May 4 and continues through Dec. 29. The decision was announced in a ruling published May 1 by Los Alamitos stewards Ron Church, James Dreyer, and Tom Ward.

Clark, 42, was cited for post-race tests taken from Run Factor, winner of a $3,200 claiming race for Thoroughbreds at 4 1/2 furlongs as the 1-2 favorite on Jan. 18, and Gas Can, who was second in an allowance race for Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds at 870 yards on Jan. 26.

At the start of the year, the California Horse Racing Board enacted a zero-tolerance rule for clenbuterol, a bronchial dilator.

Clark has not had a starter since early February. A winner of 347 races, Clark has primarily run horses at the Los Alamitos evening meeting with occasional runners on the Southern California daytime circuit.

:: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter