Trainer Bennie L. "Chip" Woolley Jr. has been granted a stay of a 180-day suspension and a $2,625 fine by Rudy Casillas, racing division director of the Arizona Department of Gaming, while he appeals that ruling issued last month by Turf Paradise stewards.
Woolley, known for training Mine That Bird to a 50-1 upset in the 2009 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) at Churchill Downs, was cited by stewards Feb. 15 for possession of a needle and syringe on track premises Feb. 8. The stay order, forwarded to BloodHorse by the Arizona Department of Gaming, was issued Feb. 18.
According to Paulick Report, Ivy Kushner, attorney for Woolley, wrote in the appeal that Woolley has had no medication violations for at least five years and that the "event that transpired on Feb. 8, 2022, was an isolated instance of poor judgment." Kushner further wrote that two Arizona officials acknowledged a shortage of veterinarian care at Turf Paradise.
The Paulick Report story indicated the appeal noted the syringe was confiscated as Woolley and groom Alberto Castillo Perez attended to the entered 5-year-old mare Kissable U. Per the appeal, Woolley told Arizona state veterinarian Dr. Susan Gale the contents within the syringe was magnesium, not a prohibited substance, according to Kushner.
Stewards scratched Kissable U and other Woolley-trained horses scheduled to race Feb. 8.
With the stay issued, Woolley resumed racing horses at Turf Paradise Feb. 28.
