California judge grants stay for trainer Mullins
May 28, 2010SAN DIEGO (AP) -A judge has stayed the 30-day suspension imposed upon trainer Jeff Mullins by the California Horse Racing Board until June 2.
That's when a hearing is scheduled on Mullins' application for a further stay. Mullins on May 9 began serving the suspension imposed by the racing board for an alleged 2008 drug violation.
Mullins said in a statement Thursday that after exhausting all the administrative remedies through the racing board he had no choice but to seek outside justice.
The trainer says he looks forward to his day in court and is grateful to return to the job he loves.
Judge Yuri Hofmann ordered the stay in state superior court in San Diego.
A horse trained by Mullins that finished third in a race at Del Mar in 2008 tested positive for exceeding the allowable limit for total carbon dioxide, or TCO2, a performance-enhancing alkalizing agent known as a ``milkshake.''
Mullins was on probation for a prior drug violation at the time of the Del Mar violation.