Doug O'Neil Suspension: Allegations Taint I'll Have Another's Accomplishments

I’ll Have Another’s immaculate performances during the Triple Crown season now have a stain on them following trainer Doug O’Neill’s suspension. 

The California Horse Racing Board suspended O’Neill for 45 days and fined him $15,000, according to the New York Times. The penalties will not take effect until July 1, though, after I’ll Have Another has already run at the Belmont Stakes.

As the N.Y. Times article notes, the allegations against O’Neill deal with a 2010 incident in which elevated carbon dioxide levels were found in a horse named Argenta. The irregularity is thought to be the result of a process called “milkshaking.”

This involves feeding a baking-soda solution through a tube inserted in a horse’s nose. The practice presents a problem to both the competitive balance of the sport and the humane treatment of the horses.

However, the case against O’Neill is not completely cut and dry. A Los Angeles Times report of the incident quotes the ruling handed down by the CHRB:

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The hearing officer [Steffan Imhoff], who conducted a seven-day hearing, agreed with O'Neill that the evidence demonstrated that Argenta had not been milkshaked, so milkshaking was not the cause of the TC02 [total carbon dioxide concentration] overage. He also determined that there were no suspicious betting patterns in the race. He further determined there was no evidence of any intentional acts on the part of O'Neill in connection with this incident.

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This same ruling was used to place the fine and suspension on O’Neill. The L.A. Times article suggests that the fine and suspension are the result of "zero-tolerance policy" by the CHRB. The board is holding O'Neill responsible because there was an irregularity in the carbon dioxide levels with Argenta, and he is the trainer.

O'Neill has already spent $250,000 in lawyer fees to plead his case for this incident, and he will likely continue to appeal the ruling, according to the same L.A. Times report.

However, the trainer has been involved in similar incidents in the past, and these recent punishments will call further attention to his record.

Until now, I’ll Have Another was one of the most inspiring sports stories of the year. The horse came out of nowhere to beat out heavily-favored Bodemeister in two consecutive dramatic finishes. Neither the owner, the trainer nor jockey had ever been involved with a horse that won a Triple Crown race. It was a perfect example of an underdog beating out the odds.

But now, it all seems too good to be true. No evidence has been brought against any tampering with I’ll Have Another, but O’Neill is a repeat offender.

Like any person in the United States, he is innocent until proven guilty, but the court of public opinion operates under much harsher standards. I’ll Have Another still has an excellent chance to be the first Triple Crown-winner in 34 years, but after O’Neill’s transgressions, the story won’t mean as much to many sports fans.

O’Neill’s troubled past is making its way into the limelight, and I’ll Have Another’s legacy will forever be tainted by the trainer’s indiscretions.