Justin Nixon

Lyudmila (Gun Runner), a $1-million Keeneland September yearling purchase by Edward Seltzer's Stonebase LLC, won for fun in her Laurel Park unveiling Friday. After being pinched back at the start, the 5-2 chance raced in fourth through an opening quarter in :22.33, began to launch while three wide at the top of the stretch and kicked on in the lane to graduate by six lengths over favored Juniper's Jubilee (Honor A. P.). Hailing from a deep Edward Seltzer family, the winner's dam Lucrezia (Into Mischief) is also represented by a...

The stewards at Charles Town Races on Wednesday issued a ruling that will not impose penalties against the licensure of trainer Curtis Bass after deeming that a "trace level" of a cocaine metabolite detected in a $5,000 claiming mare who won Apr. 10 was the result of "inadvertent exposure" to that drug. It's the second time in eight months that the Charles Town stewards have made that type of  determination on a cocaine positive, disqualifying the winning horse but not penalizing the trainer. Although West Virginia's Thoroughbred medication testing and...

The stewards at Charles Town Races on Wednesday issued a ruling that will not impose penalties against the licensure of trainer Justin Nixon after deeming that a "trace level" of a cocaine metabolite detected in a winning first-time starter he trained in March was the result of "inadvertent exposure" to that drug. West Virginia, along with Louisiana, are the only two states in America where Thoroughbred medication testing and enforcement are not subject to oversight by the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit...