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Suspend Trainer Cornell For Three-Month Period California Board Action Result Of Drifting Abbey Stimulation By OSCAR OTIS LOS ANGELES, Calif.. May 14.— Reggie Cornell, one of Americas best known and most successful public trainers, yesterday afternoon was handed a three months suspension by the California Racing Board for negligence arising over the stimulation of the horse. Drifting Abbey, some weeks back at Bay Meadows. Commissioners Dwight Murphy, chairman, and members George I. Holmes and Bert W. Railey agreed upon the suspension following a lengthy hearing before the board at its downtown Los Angeles offices on Monday. Murphy announced that after taking all factors into consideration, including the point that not one of the commissioners felt that Cornell was personally guilty, the three months suspension was deemed sufficient. Cornells suspension will be up July 24 of this summer. In addition, the board gave the same sentence to Drifting Abbeys groom, Jerry Williams. The suspension was for technical violation of Rule 1871 which holds a trainer responsible for the condition of his horse or horses regardless of the acts of third parties. Cornell was given through Thursday to wind up his affairs in the stable area, Continued on Page Forty-Fire Cornell Suspended For Three Months California Racing Board in Long Hearing Arising Over Drifting Abbey Stimulation L * Continued Irom Page One after which, during the term of his suspension, he will be barred from the stable area, but the commissioners told him he was welcome to attend the races as a spectator if he so desired. The development of the Cornell hearing was long, drawn out, and at times tedious. The board qualified all witnesses as to qualifications, such as what schools vets attended, investigative experience of the boards own investigative staff. Cornell was represented by Gene Stock-well Jr.. of the staff of C. Ray Robinson. Stockwell introduced a parade of witnesses whose testimony tended to indicate the fact that the horse Drifting Abbey was not in fact a stimulated runner at Bay Meadows and that there was a reasonable chance of error in identification of the urine sample bottle the state uses for this purpose. The states case, as presented by Arthur Martin of the Attorney Generals office, confined itself to proving that regardless of lack of proof of motive that the sample from Drifting Abbey came back positive and thus per se was ample grounds for suspension. Cornell testified at length in his own behalf, and declared he had made all reasonable efforts, indeed, above average efforts, to safeguard the horses under his care. But he admitted he had no foreman at the barn and no night watchman. He pretty much checked everything himself. The groom. Williams, testified that he had left the horse Drifting Abbey on the day of the stimulation incident for about 15 minutes to get some lunch. George W. Schilling, senior steward at Bay Meadows, testified that he had checked I and found no unusual wagering activity on I Drifting Abbey, either on or off the race ! track. Benzedrine Would Affect Horse Veterinarian Dr. J. E. Jacoy testified that I a horse stimulated by the benzedrine de-rivate which showed in Drifting Abbeys sample would have been nervous, or had her eyes dilated, would have breathed a bit faster, and would have had a faster heartbeat than if non-stimulated. It was brought out that Drifting Abbey was apparently normal in every respect in the paddock, had since worked in near track record time, and thus had every right to win the race, : which was her first start. The defense even called upon jockey Willie Shoemaker, who rode the filly that day, to testify that he noticed nothing out t of the ordinary about the conduct of the horse when he rode her. The state, in rebuttal, called in its own . investigators to testify that Cornell did , not have the same "chain of command" setup as prevailed in other California stables of similar size and calibre. Jack Ford, chief investigator, and Ray K. Moug said , a check of the stable area showed most . stables of consequence had an assistant trainer, a foreman, and a night watchman. In summing up for the defense, attorney J Stockwell argued that while Rule 1871 was • harsh, he had nothing better to offer as a . substitute, recapitulated the testimony of possibility of error in sample checking, showed that 100 per cent protection of a . stable was a practical impossibility, and cited Cornells long and good record as a trainer, bulwarked by testimony of other r trainers. After a deliberation of some 10 minutes, the board announced its decision, with the j ~ announcement that the legal brief supporting their decision would be prepared j and given to the interested parties as soon as possible. In other action of the day, the board j took the following actions: 1 — Upheld the action of the board of - stewards at Bay Meadows in voiding the claim of the horse Romanium made by W. R. Johnson of Glendale. Johnson had j shipped his stable to Hollywood Park a few days before making the claim. 2 — Heard a plea from Harold A. Boles regarding horses now stabled at Pomona be permitted to race at Hollywood Park and was told the board had no objections. 3 — Approved the proposed stakes schedule for Golden Gate Fields for its late fall j meeting in the North. 4 — Approved the application for a grooms license for Albert C. Hiering. 5 — Deferred until a later date and until j applicant was in better health application - for a grooms license by Jess Howard. 6 — Granted a temporary license as a groom to Theodore Rv Shumaker. 7 — Granted a probationary license as a groom to Robert C. Williams. 8 — Granted a probationary license as a jockey to Dallas Ward Harrier, formerly of f New York and New Jersey tracks. Harrier r holds an exercise boys license. 9 — Ratified 10 previous actions of the board dealing with routine matters such as s use of the Daily Double at the state fair, •, stabling of overflow horses at other tracks, ;, and items of a like nature. The Cornell hearing dominated the days s a f r s •, ;, s proceedings, and the court room was packed to standing room only for a greater r part of the day. Most every race track exec-e - utive in California was present, but the management men deserted the hearing in l the afternoon to hold a short session of the ; Federated Tracks of California Association. No announcement was forthcoming as to what was discussed by the executives.
