A Breeders' Cup-winning trainer is taking her case to court after she was again denied a training licence by the racing authority in Kentucky.
Maria Borell, 42, famously trained Runhappy to win the 2015 Sprint, the culmination of a five-race win streak while in the care of her then virtually unknown handler. Yet the day after the big race, she was dismissed by Runhappy's previous trainer, the sister-in-law of the horse's owner, being told her services were no longer needed.
Borell has not sent out a runner since 2016, when she was accused of animal-neglect offences involving horses found on her father's Kentucky farm.
Charges dismissed and expunged
She was subsequently cleared of the charges, which were dismissed and the record expunged, and the case closed. However, she has been unable to secure a new training licence.
Her latest application was heard on Friday, when the board of the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation voted on whether to accept the recommendation of a specially assigned hearing officer that she should be entitled to a licence.
Borell took part in an all-day evidentiary hearing, after which the officer concluded there was no evidence to deny her a licence, describing the board's reasons as “vague and inconsistent”. However, the board voted unanimously not to act on the hearing officer's recommendation when it met.
Trainer's response
Borell said afterwards the decision had not come as a surprise to her.
She said: “It's exactly what I expected. They didn't want to deal with me, not the facts, not the hearing officer's findings.
“There is no legal or factual reason for this denial. The hearing officer spent 7 hours hearing evidence and testimony and concluded there was no evidence to support denial. He formally recommended reinstatement. That recommendation is part of the official record.”
She continued: “I had zero involvement with the farm connected to the dismissed case. I was living over a thousand miles away and had no role in its operations.
“The case was dismissed by Kentucky's own court system, expunged, and legally treated as if it never occurred. Under Kentucky law, expunged matters cannot be used in licensing decisions.
“My record in racing is clean: no drug positives, no disciplinary violations, and full compliance with every requirement.
“Meanwhile, this industry has a long, well-documented pattern: men are given second, third, and fourth chances, even after multiple medication positives, suspensions, and serious violations. I have none of those issues, yet I was denied.
“The administrative process is now complete, and I am free to speak openly. This now moves to court, where decisions are based on evidence, law, and fairness, not personal vendettas, politics, or selective enforcement.”
