Mountaineer Trainer Clouston Suspended Six Months, Fined $5,000 for Second Class 1 Drug Positive in 1 Year

[Wandering Eyes]

Trainer Eddie Clouston, who was third in earnings and second in victories at the 2025 Mountaineer Park meet, has been suspended six months and fined $5,000 by that track's stewards stemming from a Class 1/Penalty Category A post-race drug positive for oxymorphone in the urine of a filly who broke her maiden by 8 ¼ lengths as the 3-2 favorite three months ago.

Oxymorphone is a semi-synthetic opioid analgesic derived from morphine that is used in humans to treat severe or chronic pain, often when other pain medications are not strong enough. It is a Schedule II controlled substance in the United States because of its high abuse potential.

When prescribed for horses, oxymorphone is primarily used in anesthesia settings as opposed to managing routine pain.

According to the Feb. 10, 2026, ruling, “This medication/prohibited substance violation is the permit holder's second violation in a 365-day period for medication/prohibited substance carrying a Class 1 penalty.”

The charges represent only one side of the story. TDN could not reach the 60-year-old Clouston for comment prior to deadline for this article. He has 20 days to file an appeal, although the West Virginia Racing Commission confirmed in a Thursday email that no appeal has yet been lodged.

Clouston's training record on Equibase dates to 1985 and includes 2,135 lifetime winners.

The then-3-year-old filly Maam Cross (Dialed In) triggered the positive Nov. 18, 2025, in a Mountaineer maiden-claiming sprint. After being notified of the positive, Clouston exercised his right to have a split sample tested, and that second test again confirmed the finding.

A $100,000 OBSAPR buy as a 2-year-old, Maam Cross had only once hit the board in four previous starts at Santa Anita, Horseshoe Indianapolis, Thistledown and Mahoning Valley.

The Mountaineer start was the first for Maam Cross under Clouston's care and for the filly's new owner, Michelle Helms.

Maam Cross has been disqualified from the victory, and the order of finish and purse money have been redistributed.

After winning, Maam Cross subsequently ran third as the 3-10 favorite in a NW2L claiming sprint at Mountaineer Nov. 30. She has not started since.

Unless an appeal triggers a stay, Clouston's suspension will run through Aug. 3, 2026.

 

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