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[L.B.Loveday]

Dozens charged in international horse doping scheme


 <https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/f17a42e8441ae045e2ad817cef6f5b13>
Maximum Security crosses the line first in the Kentucky Derby in May last
year before being disqualified Picture: Getty Images

*	By Agencies
*	5:50PM March 10, 2020

More than two dozen people, including the trainer of champion Maximum
Security, have been charged in what authorities describe as a widespread
international scheme to drug horses.

Trainer Jason Servis, whose stable includes Maximum Security, winner of the
$20 million Saudi Cup, has been charged with administering
performance-enhancing drugs to that horse and others.

Maximum Security crossed the line first in the 2019 Kentucky Derby but was
disqualified for interference and has since won four of his five
high-profile races.

The charges against trainers, veterinarians and others are detailed in four
indictments unveiled in Manhattan federal court.

Charges brought against the 27 people include drug adulteration and
mis-branding conspiracy.

Performance-enhancing drugs "were given to racehorses in an effort to
increase their performance beyond their natural abilities," William F
Sweeney Jr, assistant director in charge of the FBI New York Office, said at
a news conference.

"What actually happened to the horses amounted to nothing less than abuse.

"They experienced cardiac issues, overexertion leading to leg fractures,
increased risk of injury, and, in some cases, death.

"Conversely, the human being involved in the scheme continued to line their
purses as they manipulated this multibillion-dollar horse racing industry
across the globe." Authorities say the drugs can cause horses to over-exert
themselves, leading to heart issues or death.

According to the indictments, other drugs used to deaden a horse's
sensitivity to pain to improve the horse's performance could also lead to
leg fractures. Authorities said participants in the fraud - affecting races
in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky and the United Arab
Emirates - misled federal and state regulators, US Customs and Border
Protection agents, various state horse racing regulators and the betting
public.

National Thoroughbred Racing Association president and chief executive Alex
Waldrop called the charges "abhorrent".

 <https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/5ba69d4749f4f88ae0e16186574aa6de> 

 

Trainer Jason Servis is among more than two dozen officials charged by
authorities Picture: AP

"There is no place in our sport for individuals who treat horses with
disregard for their wellbeing or who undermine the integrity of our
competition for personal gain," Waldrop said.

Federal authorities searched barns in Florida and a manufacturing facility
in Kentucky.

In the indictment, Servis is charged with giving Maximum Security a
performance- enhancing drug called SGF-1000, recommending it to another
trainer, and conspiring with a veterinarian to make it look like a false
positive for another substance. The other trainer, Jorge Navarro, is among
those charged. Servis is alleged to have given performance-enhancing drugs
to "virtually all the racehorses under his control".

"The charges in this indictment result from a widespread, corrupt scheme by
racehorse trainers, veterinarians, PED (performance-enhancing drug)
distributors and others to manufacture, distribute and receive adulterated
and mis-branded PEDs and to secretly administer those PEDs to racehorses
under scheme participants' control," an indictment reads.

"A sad day for racing but a long time coming," trainer Graham Motion
tweeted. "A good day for those who try to play by the rules, we will all be
better for it." One of Navarro's horses, X Y Jet, who is named in one of the
indictments as a recipient of performance-enhancing drugs, earned more than
$3 million in winnings and died of an apparent heart attack in January.

 

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