Another Milkshaker Caught
Adam Kitchingman is now the fourth Santa Anita trainer to be cited for running a horse with excess carbon dioxide levels. His horses, along with those of Julio Canani, Vladimir Cerin, and Jeff Mullins — who were cited earlier in the month for the offense — are now subject to a 24-hour pre-race quarantine. Here’s the twist in the story: Unlike Canani, Cerin, and Mullins, Kitchingman isn’t denying the milkshake allegation. “I got caught playing with fire, and I’ll have to reconsider what I was doing. I’m not going to deny it like everybody else who got caught. It’s not going to happen again. Unfortunately, because this is a competitive business, you do stuff you’ve got to do to try to win races.” Ah, it was the pressure to win that drove him to such desperate lengths. What’s that saying about a hot kitchen? If you can’t stand the heat, get out — don’t cheat. (Daily Racing Form)
Or, is Kitchingman denying the charge? “Like other alleged perpetrators, Kitchingman said the high test reading for total carbon dioxide must have come from feed supplements, though when asked by a reporter, he said he didn’t know which.” He does repeat the part about racing being a competitive business, so his story hasn’t changed completely. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
