Silver Story, trainer suspended

Triple Crown champion Silver Story and leading horse trainer Ricardo Paman, Jr. were both slapped a stiff three-month suspension by the Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom) following an official inquiry on the champion colt’s dismal showing in the recent Philracom Mitra Cup Three-Year-Old Championship Race at the San Lazaro Hippodrome.

The celebrated gray colt and the prominent horse trainer were suspended for failure of the trainer to report to the Board of Stewards before the race a defect on his horse.

The finding was based on the sworn declaration of Silver Story jockey Jonathan Hernandez who observed the horse to be hurting but Paman took it for granted, allowing the horse to run in the race,according to the Philracom.

Hernandez said that Silver Story was hurting with a sore toe in their final work days before the race. But Paman had another opinion, telling Hernandez that his apprehensions allegedly were simply a product of imagination.

Hernandez found out later from one of Silver Story’s handlers that Paman sought assistance from a farrier (horse shoe blacksmith) to address his concerns.

The Philracom pointed out that the responsibility of informing the Board of Stewards on the fitness and actual condition of any horse falls squarely on the horse trainer since the general presumption of race officials is that all declared horses are qualified and fit to participate in a race as guaranteed by the trainer who signs the declaration form.