Gaming Commission

Brooke Ficarella, as responsible trainer under 9 NYCRR § 4043.4(a), violated Commission rules in that respondent trained horse "Jacoba", that finished second in the 8th race at Finger Lakes Race Track on September 13, 2021, and having received a report from the NYS Gaming Commission Equine Drug Testing Laboratory that a race-day blood sample taken from the horse "Jacoba" had the substance methocarbamol  present at a concentration, including an assessment of the measurement uncertainty and imprecision of the quantitative threshold, in excess of 1 ng/ml in plasma in violation of 9 NYCRR § 4043.3 (a)(23).  Having waived her right to appeal, Owner/Trainer Brooke Ficarella is suspended for 7 calendar days effective Thursday, October 7, 2021 through Wednesday, October 13, 2021, inclusive, and fined $250.  

 

Furthermore, "Jacoba" is disqualified from any part of the purse and the stewards order the purse redistributed as follows:

 

During her period of suspension, Owner/Trainer Brooke Ficarella shall not directly or indirectly participate in New York State pari-mutuel horse racing and is denied privileges and use of the grounds of New York State race tracks and she shall be forbidden to participate in any share of purses.  In addition; every horse shall not participate in pari-mutuel racing this is (A) owned by respondent B. Ficarella, no individual shall continue to serve as her agent or employee during his period of suspension, or (B) for which she directly or indirectly makes or executes, during her period of suspension, any arrangement with an owner or other person to care for, train, enter in a race, invoice, collect fees or other payments related to, employ workers or otherwise handle.