'Things vary from state to state, but I'm being doubly, triply careful'.

WARD has accumulated what, in Britain, would be regarded as a remarkable collection of 'positives.' In January 2002, he ran four horses at Santa Anita, in California. Magic Weapon, Workum and Houston Wicked all won, while Bring The Heat finished second. All four tested positive for excessive amounts of clenbuterol and, in September 2003 the California Horse Racing Board fined Ward $30,000.

After winning a race at Alameda County Fair in July 2006, Denaesalildevil tested positive for phentermine, a class 2 drug. As a result, in April 2007, the CHRB fined Ward $25,000, suspended him for 60 days, and placed him on probation for one year. The suspension was stayed on condition that, during the probationary year, there were no more medication violations involving class 1, 2 or 3 drugs.

s

California has a much stricter approach to medication violations than Florida where, two months earlier, Cat's On A Prowl won a race at Gulfstream Park but tested positive for clenbuterol above the permitted threshold. Ward was fined $300.

The same situation occurred after Carsons Regal Lady finished second in a race at Calder on November 24 2007. An official from the CHRB told the Racing Post that, although reciprocal agreements between different states mean that a suspension imposed in one jurisdiction applies in others, probationary conditions are 'state specific'. The 60-day suspension was, therefore, not triggered. Ward was fined $500.

R Brown Sugar tested positive for excessive clenbuterol after winning at Calder on June 22 2008, as did Mo's Prize after winning at the same track on July 27. Neither of these horses was disqualified but, at a hearing on December 5, Ward was fined $1,000, twice, and suspended for 15 days, from December 13 to 27. On January 3, the opening day of Gulfstream Park's 2009 meeting, Notonthesamepage won, racing with excessive clenbuterol.

Ward said: "Unfortunately, how long you have to take a horse off clenbuterol before a race varies from state to state and, in some states, if anything is found, you are subject to a fine. I am now being doubly and triply careful."

Ward has not been the subject of further rulings involving clenbuterol since Notonthesamepage.

The penalties Ward faced in Florida were based on the Association of Racing Commissioners International 2004 guidelines, which are more lenient than those currently recommended by ARCI.

But Ward appears to have escaped lightly. For class 3 substances, the recommended penalty for a first violation is a fine of from $100 to $500; for a second violation within 12 months, a fine of $250 to $750 and a suspension of up to 30 days; for a third violation within 24 months of the previous one, a fine of $500 to $1,000 and suspension of up to 60 days.

In Florida, three clenbuterol violations by Ward in the space of just over eight months attracted fines totalling $2,500 and a 15-day suspension. A fourth violation less than six months after the previous one attracted another $1,000 fine and another 15-day suspension.

Approaches to the Florida authorities for an explanation of the penalties were referred to chief steward Kevin Scheen. Scheen did not return calls.