Two Fairplex Harness Drivers Are Fined for Drug Possession

Two driver-trainers at Fairplex Park have been fined for possession of marijuana, and another driver has been suspended 90 days by the stewards for failing to give his best effort in a race.

In rulings announced Saturday, stewards at the Pomona harness track fined Larry Beer and Gabriele Bernat $200 apiece after a backstretch search by state investigators found them to be in possession of marijuana earlier in the week. The 43-year-old Beer, who has not driven a winner this year, and the 32-year-old Bernat, who has six wins all year, also were placed on probation until the end of 1987.

The other driver, Gerald Slyzuik, received a 90-day suspension after the stewards disapproved of his performance with a horse named Horse with No Name at Fairplex last Tuesday.

Horse with No Name finished second in the race, losing a photo finish to High Net Worth, who was the 7-10 favorite. Horse with No Name’s odds were 7-1.

The ruling regarding Slyzuik said that he failed “to use his best effort” in the race.

After the marijuana turned up on Monday, Beer and Bernat were not allowed to drive until they passed a urinalysis. They declined to take the tests until Friday, when the fines were handed out following a hearing at Fairplex.

Mike Corley, a steward at Fairplex, said the results of Friday’s drug tests would probably be known Monday.