NJ license expected to be given to Ledford this week

Harnessracing.com has learned that driver Eric Ledford will be re-licensed sometime this week by the New Jersey Racing Commission (NJRC), and is expected to be back on the racetrack soon. The development comes nearly one year after Ledford was given a one-year suspension as settlement after being arrested along with his father, Seldon, and three others for possession of Aranesp and other substances at Showplace Farm.

Eric Ledford was originally given a 10-year, six-month suspension and $12,000 fine by the NJRC after he and the others were arrested on March 31, 2006. Early last year the commission agreed to reduce Ledford’s penalty to a one-year suspension (including time served) and $9,000 fine. He was then sentenced to one-year probation and $15,000 fine by a Monmouth County judge on the criminal charges.

“Eric Ledford’s (NJRC-imposed) suspension was up some time ago,” NJRC deputy director Mike Vukcevich told harnessracing.com Wednesday afternoon. “Since he was on suspension criminal-wise, we took the position that we would not license him…until the probation period had terminated. He went to court last week and we’ve been supplied with a copy of a court order indicating that he is no longer on probation so we do plan to issue him a license sometime this week.

“I spoke to (state steward) Richard O’Donnell today and we definitely will be issuing him a license, it’s just a matter of him filling out the application. So he’ll be competing soon.”

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