Rucker barred at Big M

The Meadowlands will not accept entries from trainer Ken Rucker, effective with the draw on May 19 for the races on May 24. All horses trained by Rucker that are scheduled to compete at the Meadowlands on May 19, 20 and 21 will be required to race out of a detention barn, reporting at 11 p.m. the night prior to their races with the exception of Friday when his horses will have a 12 noon deadline.

The event triggering the actions against Rucker was a positive for the performance enhancer EPO [Erythropoietin] for the horse Highland Pride A, who won the eighth race on April 30, 2006 at the Meadowlands.

“The Meadowlands has what it believes to be an enforceable agreement with Mr. Rucker that is explicit in outlining steps we can take in the event of specific positive tests,” said Meadowlands Vice President for Racing Operations Chris McErlean. “This most recent positive test triggered those provisions, and we intend to follow through on the agreement."

The New Jersey Racing Commission issued a ruling on May 11which said that “as a result of a blood test which indicated that the horse was positive for elevated titers of anti-recombinant human EPO antibody” the horse Highland Pride A was placed on the Steward’s List. The horse will be prohibited from racing until re-testing results are “determined to be negative with the antibody test.”

This was the first positive since the New Jersey Racing Commission began testing for EPO in March of this year.

Rucker, 41, from Beecher, Ill., is currently leading the trainer standings at the Meadowlands with 68 wins and nearly $1.5 million in purses won. He did not appeal the New Jersey Racing Commission test results.

In late December of 2005, Rucker signed an agreement with the Meadowlands by which he accepted procedures which would be enforced, including the denial of his entries, should he have a positive test for specified medications, including EPO.

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