The New York State Gaming Commission has suspended Hall of Fame trainer Todd Fletcher for 10 days and fined him $1,000 after Kentucky Derby pre-race favorite Forte was disqualified from victory at the 2022 Hopeful Stakes for testing positive for meloxicam.

Bob Ehalt of Bloodhorse was the first to report the ruling after receiving word from Karen Murphy, Fletcher's attorney. Joe Drape of the New York Times first reported the failed test.

The ruling has since been made official to the public by the commission, which rendered the decision because the Hopeful Stakes takes place at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Per the Associated Press, meloxicam is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory that is illegal in horse racing. Pletcher said that Forte never received meloxicam and that he plans to appeal the commission's edicts.

LSU professor Steven Barker, an expert witness for Forte's connections, stated that only 500 picograms or .5 nanograms of meloxicam were found in his system.

"There's an absolute certainty that the amount of meloxicam [in Forte] has no effect on performance and it was probably a result of contamination," he said in part.

There is a zero-tolerance policy for meloxicam in testing, per Ehalt.

Forte is owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable. Mike Repole, who owns Repole Stable, plans to file a lawsuit if the disqualification doesn't get overturned.

"I've spent $20 million buying horses. I'll spend $20 million fighting it in court," Repole said.

"You talk about epic incompetence, this defines epic incompetence," he added. "This renegade bullying needs to stop."

Forte was the favorite entering the Kentucky Derby, but state racing commission veterinarian Nick Smith scratched him due to a bruised right foot. He will not be able to run in the Preakness on Saturday, May 20 because he is on the Kentucky vets' list for 14 days, per the AP.

Prior to the disqualification, Forte had won six of his seven lifetime races, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Forte's owners, Mike Repole and Vincent Viola, must forfeit $165,000 in earnings from first-place prize money, per the AP.

Pletcher entered the Racing Hall of Fame class of 2021. He has trained four Belmont Stakes winners, two Kentucky Derby victors and one Breeders' Cup Classic champion.