In the United States, a large-scale scheme for the distribution and use of prohibited drugs in equestrian sport has been disclosed. Coaches and veterinarians, under whose responsibility the animals were involved, took part in it to varying degrees. The prosecutor's office in New York filed a charge after a two-year investigation.
According to Attorney Jeffrey Berman, the current process has not yet been completed, but is already the largest doping case in the history of US equestrian sports.
“The defendants did this not out of love for the sport, and certainly not out of concern for the horses — they did it for the money. And racehorses paid for the greed of the accused, ”Berman quoted CNN as saying.
In total, several types of prohibited drugs were revealed that horses received from the trainers. In particular, we are talking about erythropoietin (EPO), which affects the production of red bodies in the blood. Doping was used to increase the level of endurance of animals during the race. At the same time, the funds negatively affected their state of health: after long distances they were exhausted, suffered from heart disease, which in many cases led to death.
“What happened to the horses is nothing other than violence. They faced cardiovascular problems, overwork, leading to leg fractures; were at increased risk for injuries, some of them were dying, ”said William Sweeney, deputy director of the FBI’s New York office.
The leadership of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) reacted to the incident. The head of the organization, Travis Tigert, said offenders should be punished.
“Fortunately, in this area there are many those for whom the health and safety of horses is a priority. However, those who continue to oppose uniform, independent regulation of the sport hinder the progress that is needed to limit such cruelty. Considering that equestrian sport is at a crossroads right now, the right decision would be to remove the fox from guarding the chicken coop and ensure the work of an independent anti-doping authority that would uphold the integrity of the sport and the safety of horses, ”the statement reads on the official website of USADA.
At least 27 people are charged with participating in a scheme disclosed by law enforcement agencies. According to the prosecution, not all of them were directly related to each other, but each played a role in the machinations - from the production and distribution of illegal drugs to hiding traces of doping in the horse's body. There were those who were engaged in the destruction of animal bodies after a sudden death.
The investigation is ongoing, and the final number of animals that are victims of anti-doping rule violators is unknown. According to law enforcement agencies, the presence of doping in the bodies of horses could affect the results of races in the states of New York, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, as well as outside the United States in the United Arab Emirates.
The news of such a comprehensive doping scheme in one of the most expensive sports has provoked indignation among both specialists and fans. However, the accusation of renowned trainer Jason Service was even more shocking. Under his leadership, the famous stallion Maximum Security came first at the prestigious Kentucky Derby races of 2019, but was disqualified for contact with another horse. In February of this year, he also became the winner of the highest-paid race in the world - the Saudi Cup, winning an award of $ 10 million.
The owner of the Service horse, Ron Lombardi, had known the trainer for many years, but, according to him, during this time he had no suspicions of fraud. After disclosing the details of the case, he expressed concern about how many of his animals were injured at the hands of a specialist.
“I don’t know what kind of horses he doped, although, taking into account what I read, I’m sure that he subjected most of them to this. I do not know if Firenze Fire is among them. Since this horse is a sprinter, it is likely that he did not need to increase his stamina. Who knows. In my opinion, Jason was very naive about the consequences of all this, ”the BloodHorse quotes Lombardi.
Another famous name on the list of defendants was Jorge Navarro, whose stallion X Wye Jet won the Dubai Golden in the UAE last year despite numerous operations. The horse died in January of this year from a heart attack.
Anti-doping rule violations were identified, inter alia, by analyzing phone calls and correspondence. In particular, in one of the calls, the veterinarian convinced the Service that he should not worry about the doping received by the Maximum Security on the eve of one of the races, since "there are no tests for this drug in the USA."
At the moment, both Service and Navarro deny their guilt.