Tag: drugs in horse racing

The United States Anti-Doping Agency couldn't reach an agreement to provide drug testing and enforcement for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. The two sides suspended negotiations Thursday, putting a key element of HISA into flux. (Image: USADA)

HISA, USADA Fail to Reach Agreement on Drug Testing, Enforcement

- 3 min read

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) announced Thursday that it suspended talks with the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to help enforce HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control program. The two entities broke off negotiations on Thursday after failing to reach terms on an agreement. The USADA was seen as an […]

Disgraced trainer Jorge Navarro was sentenced to five years in prison Friday for doping racehorses. (Image: Gulfstream Park)

Judge Sentences Trainer Jorge Navarro to Five Years for Horse Doping

- 3 min read

Former trainer Jorge Navarro, one of the pivotal figures in a federal investigation into alleged doping of Thoroughbreds, was sentenced to the maximum five years in prison Friday. Along with the sentence, Navarro was ordered to pay more than $26.8 million in restitution. That figure represents the amount of earnings his […]

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) outlined rules for drug use, riding crop usage and claiming races. (Image: Jay Baker)

HISA Outlines Proposed Rules Governing Drugs, Crops and Claims

- 3 min read

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) released its proposed new rules on Thursday that address doping enforcement, medication, crop usage, and new claiming provisions. The HISA proposal puts drug enforcement in the hands of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Those rules simplify what is often a Byzantine maze of […]

Trainer Jorge Navarro became the highest-profile defendant pleading guilty in a wide-ranging, government indictment. He faces up to five years of prison and millions of dollars in restitution payments. (Image: Gulfstream Park)

Disgraced Trainer Navarro Pleads Guilty to Horse Doping Charge

- 3 min read

Trainer Jorge Navarro, one of the central figures in the blood doping and drug adulteration scandal that rocked horse racing in a long-running scheme starting in 2016, changed his plea to guilty Wednesday. In doing so, Navarro could spend up to five years in prison. Navarro changed his plea from […]

Medina Spirit trainer Bob Baffert (left) and owner Amr Zedan flank jockey John Velazquez as they hoist the Kentucky Derby trophy. Baffert and Zedan filed suit Tuesday to protect Medina Spirit's Derby victory. (Image: AP Photo)

Baffert, Zedan File Suit Seeking Extra Testing for Medina Spirit

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Bob Baffert and Amr Zedan, the trainer and owner of Kentucky Derby champion Medina Spirit, went on the legal offensive Tuesday, filing a lawsuit against the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. The suit, filed in Franklin Circuit Court in Kentucky, claims the KHRC’s ban on betamethasone applies only to injections and […]

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert doubles as the face of his sport. His face won't be around Churchill Downs the next two years after that track suspended him for two years. (Image: AP Photo)

Churchill Downs Drops Two-Year Suspension on Bob Baffert

- 3 min read

In the wake of Kentucky Derby champion Medina Spirit’s split sample testing positive for the prohibited anti-inflammatory betamethasone, Churchill Downs suspended trainer Bob Baffert for two years, effective immediately. The ruling prohibits the Hall of Fame trainer from entering horses for races or occupying stall space at Churchill Downs, and […]

Sam Houston Race Park officials suspended racing on one of its marquee Quarter Horse races after six of 10 horses tested positive for banned substances. (Image: Sam Houston Race Park)

Sam Houston Bans Wagering on Futurity After Positive Drug Tests

- 3 min read

Due to 60% of the field for Friday’s Sam Houston Futurity at Sam Houston Race Park testing positive for either banned substances clenbuterol or albuterol, the track suspended wagering on the Grade 2 Quarter Horse race. The Quarter Horse race for 2-year-olds at the Texas track will run without betting. […]

Bettors wagering on 26/1 Mandaloun to win the Kentucky Derby won't get rewarded if winner Medina Spirit is disqualified. Pari-mutuel payouts stand once a race is ruled official. (Image: Churchill Downs/Coady Photography)

Can Mandaloun Bettors Profit From a Medina Spirit DQ?

- 3 min read

One of the first questions many novice horseplayers asked when the news of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit’s positive drug test for excessive amounts of an anti-inflammatory medication was: “If he’s DQed, can I cash my Mandaloun ticket?” The answer is an emphatic “no.” Bettors holding Mandaloun tickets deserve props […]

As controversy over his positive test for excessive amounts of an anti-inflammatory, Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit galloped Sunday. He is scheduled to arrive in Baltimore for the Preakness Stakes Tuesday morning. (Image: Churchill Downs/Coady Photography)

MJC Postpones Preakness Draw After Medina Spirit Betamethasone Test

- 2 min read

As Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit galloped amid the furor of his positive drug test for the anti-inflammatory betamethasone, Maryland Jockey Club officials postponed the Preakness Stakes post-position draw to Tuesday. Originally, the post-position draw and morning-line odds were set to be announced on Monday. But, in the wake of […]

Trainer Bob Baffert, jockey John Velazquez and owner Amr Zedan celebrate Medina Spirit's Kentucky Derby victory last Saturday. The celebration may end after the horse tested positive for an excessive amount of an anti-inflammatory. (Image: Churchill Downs/Coady Photography)

Baffert’s Derby Winner Medina Spirit Tests Positive for Anti-Inflammatory

- 4 min read

Horse racing and the face of horse racing – Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert – took two more punches to their collective integrity Sunday when Kentucky Derby-winning horse Medina Spirit tested positive for an anti-inflammatory drug, betamethasone. Baffert confirmed the test to reporters in an impromptu press conference at […]

Gamine, seen here winning the Test Stakes last summer, forfeited her third-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks after her second positive drug test. (Image: Coglianese Photo/HYRA)

Champion Sprinter Gamine Disqualified from Kentucky Oaks

- 3 min read

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission formally disqualified Gamine from the 2020 Kentucky Oaks after the Bob Baffert charge tested positive for betamethasone. Along with that, the commission fined Baffert $1,500. As a result of the Jan. 30 ruling, posted on the KHRC website, Gamine forfeits the $120,000 she earned for […]

Trainer Bob Baffert's Merneith tested positive for an excessive amount of a cough syrup ingredient. (Image: Coady Photography)

Merneith, Another Baffert Charge, Tests Positive for Banned Substance

- 2 min read

The California Horse Racing Board revealed that another one of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s charges, Merneith, tested positive for a banned substance. Merneith tested positive for dextromethorphan, a common ingredient found in human cough syrups. The test came after Merneith finished second in the fourth race at Del […]