Rice Will Need to Appeal in Court to Keep Training

[Wandering Eyes]

The previously levied three-year license revocation and $50,000 fine against trainer Linda Rice went into effect on Monday, the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) announced. If she wants to continue to work as a trainer, Rice will need to file an appeal at the state court level, possibly by requesting a temporary restraining order to get the revocation stayed pending a court review of the NYSGC's ruling.

On May 17, Rice had her training license revoked for a period of “no less than three years” and got fined $50,000 when NYSGC members voted 5-0 to agree with a hearing officer that Rice's  years-long pattern of seeking and obtaining confidential pre-entry information from New York Racing Association (NYRA) racing office workers was “intentional, serious and extensive, and that her actions constituted improper and corrupt conduct…inconsistent with and detrimental to the best interests of horse racing.”

Rice had testified during eight days of NYSGC hearings late in 2020 that she had handed over cash gifts amounting to thousands of dollars at a time to NYRA racing office employees between 2011 and 2015.

But the veteran conditioner, who has been training since 1987 and owns seven NYRA training titles, also testified that she did not expect any special favors in return for that money, and that any entry-related information she did receive from NYRA employees was a type of disclosure that was routinely divulged to other trainers.

Rice's lone trainee entered to race June 7 was scratched at Finger Lakes.

Ironically–considering the circumstances of Rice's case–that entrant was named Inside Info (Mission Impazible).

Rice's attorney, Andrew Turro, did not respond to a TDN query prior to deadline for this story asking if a court appeal was in the works.

Brad Maione, the NYSGC's director of communications, confirmed that as of 3:30 p.m. (Eastern) Monday, the commission was unaware of any appeal having been filed.

Rice has six horses total entered to race at both Belmont Park and Finger Lakes later this week.

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