Top New York trainer Linda Rice saw her license revoked officially by the state’s gaming commission June 7, two weeks after a hearing officer’s recommendations in her long-running case were made public. Rice was accused of receiving information from the racing office about which horses were entered in which races prior to the official close of entries. The alleged information exchange took place over a period of 2011 and 2014, and the commission first brought a complaint against Rice in 2019. A series of hearing dates took place in late 2020, during which the commission and Rice’s attorney presented information to a hearing officer along with numerous volumes of data and interview transcripts.
At a regularly scheduled meeting two weeks ago, the gaming commission voted to uphold that hearing officer’s recommendation that Rice’s license be revoked with the condition she could not reapply for licensure for at least three years. She has also been ordered to pay a fine of $50,000 and is denied all access to New York gaming commission-sanctioned properties.
Rice’s lone entry on June 7, Inside Info in the eighth race at Finger Lakes, was a stewards’ scratch.
The commission had alleged that Rice “received regular, continual and improper access to confidential names and other information,” and that she “paid substantial sums of money to NYRA racing officials” to get this information. The hearing officer agreed that Rice improperly solicited and received non-public information but dismissed the charge relating to the trainer allegedly paying substantial sums of money in exchange for the information.
“We are gratified that the commission dismissed the bribery charges against Ms. Rice as they had no merit whatsoever,” said Rice’s attorney, Andrew Turro. “Nonetheless, we are troubled by the Commission’s determination with respect to the racing information issue because it is incorrect in a number of material respects. We will seek judicial review of the order as soon as possible and expect to be heard in court this week on a stay application.”
Licensees in New York are entitled to appeal a finding of a hearing officer to the appropriate court, and it’s common for stays of suspensions or other penalties to be issued while the appeals process plays out.
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