Occupation Trainer Name Richard Dutrow, | Siblings Anthony W. Dutrow | |
 | ||
Career wins 1,811 (through 1/16/13) Role Thoroughbred racehorse trainer Similar People Kent Desormeaux, Anthony W Dutrow, Louis Wolfson | ||
Richard E. "Rick" Dutrow Jr. (born August 5, 1959 in Hagerstown, Maryland) is an American thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He is currently serving a ten-year suspension administered by the racing commission in New York.
Contents
Background
His brother Anthony Dutrow is also a trainer. Their father, Richard E. Dutrow Sr., was one of Maryland racing's "Big Four" who dominated racing in that state during the 1960s and 1970s and who helped modernize flat racing training. At age sixteen, Rick Jr. began working as his father's assistant. In 1995, he set up his own public stable in New York after his father left the NYRA circuit to return to Maryland.
Training career
Dutrow's first major success came in 2005 when he won two Breeders' Cup races with Silver Train and Saint Liam. His 1,000th lifetime victory was with Kip Deville in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile on March 3, 2007.
In 2008, he trained Big Brown to Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes victories, although the colt failed to capture the Triple Crown with a last place finish in the 140th Belmont Stakes. At the time, Dutrow had been suspended or fined 72 times by US horse-racing authorities and had admitted to regularly administering the steroid Winstrol to his horses including Big Brown. Nevertheless, Big Brown's accomplishments helped to make Dutrow one of the finalists for that year's Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer.
Suspension
On October 12, 2011, the New York State Racing and Wagering Board (NYSR&WB) suspended Dutrow from racing for 10 years and fined him $50,000, citing a long history of racing violations. This followed a decision by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's Licensing Review Committee not to renew his license in that state. Dutrow continued to train horses while he appealed the ruling of the NYSR&WB in court. His legal options in New York State were exhausted when the state's Court of Appeals denied his request for appeal on January 8, 2013. Barring a possible appeal in federal court, Dutrow would be suspended from January 17, 2013 until January 17, 2023.
On February 27, 2013, Dutrow filed a lawsuit with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York against the New York State Gaming Commission (former NYSR&WB), the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) and several other entities, seeking monetary damages and an overturning of his suspension. The suit alleges that Dutrow was "substantially and irreparably harmed" by the suspension and claims that he was deprived of due process under the law.