Although there has been no indication of any violation of rules as I'll Have Another nears the endgame for the Triple Crown, special precautions are being taken at Belmont with all starters in the race being moved into a separate Stakes barn supervised by six security guards and a representative of the State Racing and Wagering Board.
Horse trainer Doug O'Neill
Special precautions to prevent rule violations are being taken at Belmont with all starters being moved into a separate Stakes barn with six security guards.
The officialnews release calls the area "the secured Belmont Stakes Barn." Many are attributing this move to the fact that trainer Doug O'Neill has been suspended for 45 days in California as a result of one of his horses exceeding the allowable limit for total carbon dioxide after finishing eighth in a race at Del Mar on Aug. 25, 2010.
The board found O’Neill innocent of “milkshaking,” a process in which a tube is inserted into the horse’s nostril and baking soda is directed into the stomach to make the animal run faster. Never-the-less, he received the 45 day suspension penalty to be served after July 1, which sent off alarm bells in New York State.
In addition to drawing the 11th starting spot in a field of 12, I'll Have Another will no longer be able to eat his regular cooked oats which his handlers have been feeding him for the past 18 months, but will have to eat them raw along with other horses in the barn and will also have to submit to blood tests as will the other horses.
The owner of I'll Have Another, J. Paul Reddam is taking this additional security in stride noting that the horse has been moved around and subjected to different circumstances, but has pretty much remained unflappable.
O'Neill has pointed out that everything he has been accused of is therapeutic for the horse and that it is not performance-enhancing as he continues to maintain his innocence of any violations related to the horses which he has trained.