Call them the "O'Neill Rules."
New York state officials have enacted an unprecedented set of far-reaching security protocols for the Belmont Stakes, following a wave of bad publicity that has come from drug violations by Triple Crown hopeful I'll Have Another's trainer, Doug O'Neill.
The New York State Racing and Wagering Board announced Wednesday that all entrants in the 1-1/2-mile race June 9 must be stabled together in a specially designated barn, starting three days before the race.
The runners will be subject to out-of-competition blood testing, and their handlers and veterinarians will be closely monitored.
The enhanced rules come a week after O'Neill was suspended for 45 days and fined $15,000 by the California Horse Racing Board for an August 2010 incident in which one of his horses raced with elevated carbon dioxide levels.
Still, O'Neill said he doesn't feel singled out by the new protocols. "I don't think so," he told the Associated Press on Thursday when asked if that is the case.
O'Neill's ban does not go into effect until July 1, and he has repeatedly proclaimed he did nothing wrong to trigger the failed test. Elevated carbon dioxide levels are viewed as a possible sign that a horse was given a performance-enhancing concoction known as a "milkshake," but California officials said they do not believe O'Neill had done so in that case.
Asked if O'Neill was the cause of the new protocols, board spokesman Lee Park said: "The 2012 Belmont Stakes is the most important horse race taking place in this country. There is no room for error. The recent challenges facing the sport in New York and elsewhere speak for themselves."
O'Neill's horses were found to be racing on illegal substances on two other occasions in California, and he was suspended for a similar offense in Illinois two years ago.
I'll Have Another, who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in thrilling come-from-behind fashion, will attempt to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978.
