Trainer Kelly Heltzel suspended for clenbuterol positive in rich futurity

Quarter Horse trainer Kelly Heltzel was summarily suspended by Remington Park stewards last Thursday after San Lorenzo Tay tested positive for clenbuterol following a win in the $926,500 Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Futurity on April 17.

Heltzel, 41, is not allowed to train, pending a hearing. The suspension was first reported by TRACK magazine.

Owned by Rogelio Marquez Jr., San Lorenzo Tay gave Heltzel her biggest win only eight months after she began training. Heltzel won a remarkable nine races with 17 runners at the Remington Park meeting, which began on March 7. Hetzel had her first runner at Lone Star Park last September, but has not had any starters since the April 17 program at Remington.

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Pending the results of a hearing, the purse of the Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Futurity could be redistributed. The winner’s share was $370,600. Clenbuterol, a bronchodilator, is not allowed to appear in post-race tests, according to a ruling published on Thursday by Remington Park stewards Richard Bickel, Victor Escobar, and David Moore.

The Remington Park Quarter Horse meeting has been plagued by similar incidents in past years when trainers have been summarily suspended for medication violations.

Last May, Josue Ponce was suspended by track stewards after one of his runners tested positive for clenbuterol in a $20,000 claiming race for maidens in late April. The horse that tested positive, Oh Fancy Go, was later disqualified from purse earnings. Ponce was given a one-year suspension for the infraction.

In 2017, trainers Fernando Carrete and Trey Wood were summarily suspended for medication violations, but have since returned to training. Especially Jess, trained by Wood, finished a troubled 10th in the Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Futurity.