Vitali granted stay of one-year Pennsylvania suspension during appeals process
Trainer Marcus Vitali has had a year-long suspension issued by Pennsylvania stewards stayed while he appeals the ruling, according to records maintained by the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission.
Vitali, who is currently stabled at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, received the stay on Feb. 8. On Jan. 27, stewards at Penn National Race Course issued the one-year suspension and a fine of $10,000 after one of his horses tested positive for methamphetamine after winning a race at Presque Isle Downs on Aug. 26.
Vitali has faced numerous sanctions over the past six years for medication violations and other behavior, including accusations that he has employed paper trainers for his horses. Multiple tracks have issued bans of the trainer under house rules as well, and last year the New York Racing Association served Vitali with a “statement of charges” seeking to ban the trainer. The hearing into the charges is scheduled to begin March 1.
Methamphetamines are banned substances in racing, but regulation of the drugs is complicated because of the possibility of accidental contamination. The ruling from the Pennsylvania stewards noted that the presence of the drug was confirmed in a split sample.
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In a separate ruling issued the same day, Vitali was fined $500 for possession of medications without a prescription, citing the discovery of bottles labeled “Dr. Burch’s 40 Equi-Dyne” and “Dr. Burch’s 6 Windy” in the trainer’s possession. The ruling noted that both bottles were labeled “for veterinarian use only” and that there were no prescription labels on the bottles.
The two products are among a raft of substances available from internet suppliers that make highly dubious claims of efficacy.
Efforts to reach Vitali were unsuccessful on Friday.
Vitali’s best training years were 2014 and 2015, when he began to attract the attention of racing regulators. This year, he has started 23 horses and won with six, with four seconds and two thirds.