Horse racing probe nabs 27, including trainers, veterinarians

There is no national governing body for horseracing.

Mark Lungariello
Rockland/Westchester Journal News

More than two dozen horse racing trainers, veterinarians and drug suppliers were arrested in a wide-ranging doping scheme, federal prosecutors announced Monday.

The accused include Jason Servis, trainer of the horse Maximum Security that finished first in last year’s Kentucky Derby but was disqualified due to illegal contact with another horse.

Between 2018 and February 2020, Servis’ horses ran in 1,082 races at locations including Belmont Park, where in October Maximum Security won the $200,600 Bold Ruler Handicap.

ELMONT, NY - JUNE 09:  Justify #1, ridden by jockey Mike Smith breaks from the gate during the 150th running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 9, 2018 in Elmont, New York. Justify becomes the thirteenth Triple Crown winner and the first since American Pharoah in 2015.  (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

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In four indictments unsealed Monday, federal prosecutors outlined a doping ring that included illegal manufacturing of drugs that were forced on horses that raced in the U.S. and abroad.

“These defendants engaged in this conduct not for the love of the sport, and certainly not out of concern for the horses, but for the money,” said Geoffrey Berman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District.

Berman and other law enforcement authorities outlined the charges against 10 trainers, seven veterinarians and nine drug suppliers and distributors they say worked to produce and distribute illegal performance-enhancing drugs that endangered the horses by forcing them to push through pain, potentially leading to injury and even death.

Prosecutors alleged that veterinarian Louis Grasso supplied misbranded PEDs to horse trainers in New York and elsewhere even though neither he nor any of the facilities making the drugs he was distributing were licensed by the FDA to make the drugs or use them in animals.

When a horse trained and doped by Thomas Guido III died of an apparent heart attack in October 2019, Grasso commented that “I’ve seen that happen 20 times,” according to the charges against him.

There is no national oversight body for horseracing, but there have been calls by animal rights advocates and others to create one national governing body to oversee doping in the sport. The use of drugs to mask injuries has long been a concern because doped horses may push through pain and sustain a fracture, which usually leads to the horse being euthanized.

Prosecutors outlined charges that included a menu of different drugs that were injected or force fed to horses, including “blood builders” that increase red blood cells in the animals, “pain shots” and “joint blockers” that mask physical injuries, “breather” drugs used to lessen fatigue by increasing oxygen intake and “red acid” used to lessen inflammation in joints that isn’t approved by the FDA for use in animals.

In one case outlined in the indictment, Sarah Izhaki, a supplier of drugs also offered “masking drugs” to hide the other drugs from testing. She offered a drug called “Devil’s Breath” and allegedly said “You can kill somebody with poison, and you can clean the blood as long as he is still alive.”

The horseracing industry has been under intense scrutiny dating back to last year after a slew of horse deaths at Santa Anita racetrack in California. The Journal News/lohud, and other media in the USA Today Network, took an in-depth look at the state of the industry and found that though New York state tracks have been trending safer in recent years, the sport remains deadly for the horses.

The New York Racing Association, which operates Belmont Park, Aqueduct and Saratoga Racetracks, in a statement said, "There is absolutely no place in our sport for those who would administer illegal or banned substances to racehorses under their care."

The industry measures safety largely based on the number of horses who die of race-related injuries in competition, but the analysis found the number of industry-related deaths is much higher when including training deaths and non-racing deaths largely attributed to the industry.

The analysis also looked into how taxpayer subsidies were contributing to propping up the industry in various states in the U.S.

Animal advocates and critics of past problems in the horse racing world weighed in on the charges.

“Unscrupulous trainers that drug horses are not only putting animals and jockeys at risk of life and limb, but they are rigging the system and making a mockery of anyone who bets based on their knowledge of the athletes involved,” said Marty Irby, executive director at Animal Wellness Action.

Kitty Block, President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, released a statement calling for passage of a Congressional bill called the Horseracing Integrity Act that would create a national oversight body and set up federal restrictions on drugs used on horses.

“The reprehensible actions described in the racehorse doping scandal announced today are likely just the tip of the iceberg for this industry," Block said. "These individuals, and the industry, must be held accountable."

Mark Lungariello covers government and politics. Follow him on Facebook @lungariello and Twitter @marklungariello. For our latest subscription offers click here.