Embattled Thoroughbred trainer Rick Dutrow made a plea for his career June 3 when he told a New York hearing officer considering a license revocation case against him–brought on by numerous illegal substance infractions–that he has been good for the Thoroughbred industry.

Testifying as the last defense witness in a three-day hearing by a New York State Racing and Wagering Board hearing officer, Dutrow denied any knowledge of how a drug made it into the urine sample of one of his horses or how syringes were found in one of his barns.

"I wouldn’t do something improper with any of my horses,” Dutrow said, as a lawyer for the board brought up a long history of the trainer’s run-ins with regulators in New York and other jurisdictions.

On the final day of the hearing, which was held in Schenectady, N.Y., the trainer used character witnesses–including Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr.–to make his case that he should not be tossed from the industry in the state where he does most of his business. Kentucky officials earlier this year already rejected his racing license, a case that is still on appeal