THE SIDELINES : Trainer’s Suspension Reinstated

The 1986 suspension of trainer Gary Mosher’s license has been reinstated by the New York State Court of Appeals, the New York State Racing and Wagering Board said today.

After a race at Monticello on Dec. 22, 1984, a urine sample from Ryan’s Choice, a horse trained by Mosher, was found to contain the drug prednisolone, a steroid with anti-inflammatory properties. Testimony at a subsequent hearing established the drug had been administered within 48 hours before the race.

A lower court overturned the suspension handed down by the Racing and Wagering Board, but the Court of Appeals concluded that the Appellate Division had “misapplied the trainer responsibility rule.” The court found that as the horse’s trainer, Mosher was presumed responsible for the presence of the drug and had failed to refute this presumption.