Rick Dutrow, seen with Big Brown in April, can appeal an expected suspension from Kentucky horse racing officials. (Ed Reinke/Associated Press)

A horse trained by Rick Dutrow tested positive for twice the allowable level of Clenbuterol, a drug that helps burn fat and promote muscle growth, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

The horse, Salute the Count, finished second in a $100,000 stakes race at Churchill Downs the day before Dutrow's Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority will issue the ruling Wednesday, suspend Dutrow for 15 days and demand the horse's owner return the $20,000 in purse earnings, racing officials told the newspaper.

Dutrow has 10 days to appeal the penalty, which trainers often do to delay serving the suspension.

"I was there all week and am responsible," Dutrow told the Times. "I use that medication on many of my horses and only once can ever remember having a problem with it."

Clenbuterol is an approved medication in horses, and is used as a bronchial dilator, which increases lung capacity though it also has steroidal properties. It is illegal to administer it on race day, but states vary on the length of time beforehand that it can be administered. In New York, for example, it cannot be administered within 96 hours of race day, while in Kentucky the threshold is 72 hours.

Dutrow has come under increased scrutiny after Big Brown failed in its Triple Crown bid with a surprising flop at the Belmont Stakes in early June.

Dutrow has admitted used a legal steroid on Big Brown, but cited illness in declining to attend a U.S. Congress hearing on the safety of thoroughbred racing, which was called after Eight Belles broke down and was euthanized on the track at the Kentucky Derby.