Trainer Anthony Farrior is facing a possible suspension after a horse he trained allegedly tested positive for the banned substance Metformin, according to a posting Friday on the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit website.
His status is listed as “Pending: Provisional Suspension–Postponed.” Alexa Ravit, the director of communications & outreach for HIWU explained that the wording means, “that B Sample analysis has been requested following a positive A Sample result, so the implementation of the Provisional Suspension is postponed unless/until the B Sample comes back positive.”
Farrior will be allowed to train at least until the B sample is turned over to HIWU. If he is unable to beat the charges, he faces a suspension of up to two years and a fine of $25,000.
The infraction allegedly took place Nov. 5, 2023 at Laurel with the $10,000 claimer Geothermal (Gormley), who did not finish the race. According to the Equibase chart, Geothermal sustained an injury through the backstretch run, was pulled up entering the far turn and was vanned off. According to sources, the horse was euthanized, but the TDN has not been able to confirm that with its connections.
HIWU has penalized at least six trainers for Metformin positives, including Jonathan Wong, a top trainer on the Northern California circuit. In humans, Metformin is used to treat type 2 diabetes. Wong has said that he takes Metformin. The Federal Drug Administration has approved Metformin for use in humans but it is not officially approved for use in animals. Metformin has been used in horses to counteract the effects of equine metabolic syndrome, which is a disorder associated with inappropriate blood insulin levels and increased fat deposition.
Farrior's lawyer, Drew Mollica, said that to the best of his knowledge, Farrior does not take Metformin. However, he was adamant that in Farrior's case, the finding is a matter of environmental contamination.
“We are in the process of evaluating the evidence and intend to vigorously follow the evidence,” Mollica said. “We absolutely believe this is case of contamination. We are in the midst of fact finding and I think that it will be quite clear that Mr. Farrior is not liable for any wrongdoing. We are investigating any and all possibilities and eventualities. We firmly believe this is a case of contamination and when all the facts are in, it will be found that he was not liable or negligent on any manner.”
When asked what steps he would take if the B Sample came back positive, Mollica replied: “We'll cross that bridge when we get there. We ordered the B sample and are following the science. We believe that when we have all the science and the facts are in, we believe he will be exonerated.”
Farrior has been training since 2011 and has 837 wins from 3,708 starts. He is currently racing at Laurel, Charles Town and Mahoning Valley. He is leading the Charles Town standings with 134 wins on the year through Thursday. At Charles Town, he is winning with 25% of his starters.
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With the largest Fasig-Tipton online auction to-date underway–counting just over 300 diverse entries in its catalogue–their December Digital Sale is making this one to remember before it closes next Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 11 a.m. ET.
Fasig-Tipton's Director of Digital Sales Leif Aaron took time out of his busy day to discuss with the TDN the numbers, the expectations, comparisons with the physical sales and a whole lot more, as the offerings unfold through the holiday weekend.
TDN: It seems like every digital sale you are announcing a record number of entries! The sheer size of the December catalogue must be a positive? What does that say about the digital climate?
Leif Aaron: Buyers and sellers are becoming increasingly comfortable with the platform. It takes time to change people's buying habits, and obviously, digital sales are very different from a live auction. Digital is being embraced by more and more owners who are conscious of costs, stress on horses and the narrow buying base at the end of marathon auctions.
TDN: The share you are offering in Flameaway (Scat Daddy), do you envisage more and more stallion shares being traded this way? Is this a growing trend? How did this opportunity develop?
Leif Aaron: I think it's actually a case of history repeating itself, many readers will remember the days when Fasig-Tipton did stallion access. In the early 2000's, Fasig-Tipton was selling seasons, shares and options online. We are happy to try things for sellers, but mainly it depends on the stallion, stud farm and the market. Just like the digital auction it must make sense for everyone involved.
I've been begging farms to save me a couple very desirable seasons to auction in February Digital. That way when they have to say 'no' to multiple breeders, they can always offer the option of 'you can buy the last one' in February online. That hasn't gained any traction as of yet and I really am puzzled as to why.
As far as how the Flameaway season came about, Chance Timm contacted me and said I have a client with a share and a LBR in a leading first-crop sire, can we go on the website? Darby Dan was kind enough to oblige and here we are.
Leif Aaron | Fasig-Tipton
TDN: Did you expect to get so many broodmares, especially just after the physical sales? Digital sales run August, October etc., so the timing has to be right, correct?
Leif Aaron: We were confident we would have a lot of breeding stock. So far on the platform we have had most of our success with broodmares and racing stock. What was a surprise to us was the number of weanlings and yearlings that were entered for this sale.
We've had some success with young horses, so I think that part of the market is currently developing online. Time of year does have to make sense in general for certain types of horses–breeding stock etc.–to sell well, but racehorses can sell no matter the time of year.
TDN: Speaking of racehorses, online seems like a perfect place to trade them (which is a very liquid market at the moment due to high purses). Could you speak about that a little? Why are racehorses maybe more suited to the digital space?
Leif Aaron: I touched on this a little bit earlier, but racehorses are in huge demand right now because of record high purses. With a digital sale, the seller can keep the horse in the barn and continue with training, while the potential buyer gets to look at the horse and look at the vetting. They are getting a lot more information than they would through the claim box.
In general, the horse racing ownership community are traders. It only makes sense for us to have a platform for those owners and trainers to buy and sell.
The post Q&A With Fasig-Tipton Digital Sales Director Leif Aaron appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
