Stewards of the Bay Meadows race track...

Stewards of the Bay Meadows race track have fined two horse trainers $5,000 apiece in connection with an exchange of money involving Northern California’s richest race, a newspaper reported.

On Friday night, the stewards, following a 2 1/2-hour hearing, fined trainers Blane Schvaneveldt and Steve Rothblum. Horses trained by the men were scratched from the $438,000 Golden State Derby for quarter horses, held April 5.

The Schvaneveldt-trained horse, Cash Perks, had entered the race after a scratch by the Rothblum-trained horse, The Guardian. But on the day of the race, the stewards ordered Cash Perks, the 2-1 second choice in the morning line, also scratched from the race.

One of the stewards, Merlin Volzke, said the stewards had gotten admissions that money had exchanged hands, the San Mateo Times said. The newspaper quoted unidentified sources as indicating the amount was $20,000.

Under the rules for the derby, sophomore horses with the 10 fastest qualifying times are accorded berths in the 440-yard dash. In the March 23 Derby Trials at Bay Meadows, Cash Perks, a filly, finished with the 11th fastest time and was placed on the also-eligible list.

The Guardian, a colt, was among the top 10 finishers, but he pulled up lame after the race and his appearance in the derby was questionable, said the newspaper, which quoted Schvaneveldt as saying: “The horse wasn’t going to run anyway, and he was out of the race before we paid them. We didn’t think we were bribing anybody.”