Andrea Marcialis | Horse Racing Free Tips

French Trainer Banned Until 2025, Faces Criminal Charges For Horse Doping

Italian-born, Group 1-winning Thoroughbred trainer Andrea Marcialis has been banned by France Galop until April of 2025 for three counts of horse doping and two counts of running a shadow training operation, reports the Racing Post. The trainer also faces criminal charges on counts of doping horses, organized crime, and forgery, with his actions spanning at least 31 races.

An incident at Saint-Cloud on Aug. 31, 2020 initiated the police investigation. Marcialis was reported to racecourse officials after being seen carrying a syringe from the car park. His two runners that day were tested before and after their races. One, Bosioh, returned a positive in the pre-race urine sample, but was negative post-race. France Galop still issued a ban for the incident, noting that “the facts being sufficient to establish and constitute an act of deliberate doping on a racecourse.”

The other two doping counts for which Marcialis received bans involved six horses who received injections without prior consultation from a vet and without prescription, and the administration of corticosteroids to four more horses within three days of them racing.

Marcialis' suspensions for shadow training operations included two separate instances. The first was for his role in running horses under the name of an 80-year-old trainer, Jean-Claude Napoli, with the help of his sister, Elisabetta, and the second was for shadow training under the name of Chantilly-based Russian licence holder, Igor Endaltsev.

Trainer Marcialis Facing Criminal Charges

French-based trainer Andrea Marcialis, who on Wednesday was handed three years and nine months in bans by France Galop in addition to the six months he is currently serving for running a shadow training operation, faces criminal charges after being indicted on Thursday on counts of organized gang fraud, equine doping and forgery. The 35-year-old Marcialis was one of 14 people arrested following a raid on Mar. 9 in which police seized doping products, €8,800 in cash and removed three racehorses from the premises. A press released issued by the office of the public prosecutor in Senlis late on Thursday said the indictment concerns at least 31 races in which allegedly doped horses were entered.

The investigation into Marcialis by the Police de Jeux (France's gaming police) was triggered last August by reports to France Galop that Marcialis was seen in the Saint-Cloud Racecourse car park with a syringe in hand. The investigation had been ongoing since October. After 48 hours in custody, nine of those arrested were arraigned before a judicial tribunal in Senlis on Thursday. The public prosecutor's press release said some of those arraigned had been forbidden to work as trainers or vets, and that the main defendant was made to pay a deposit of €100,000 against possible future fines and damages, although names were not specified.

The Italian-born Marcialis was granted a French trainers' license in 2017 after working for his father Antonio Marcialis in Milan. His first group winner was the 2019 G3 Prix de Saint-Georges scorer Sestilio Jet (Fr) (French Fifteen {Fr}), and Marcialis trained a first Group 1 winner last June when Way To Paris (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) took the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. Marcialis was handed a six-month ban last December after France Galop stewards determined that he had conspired with his sister, Elisabetta Marcialis, to run a shadow training operation in the name of 83-year-old trainer Jean-Claude Napoli, who they were said to have taken advantage of and who has since died. Marcialis was on Wednesday slapped with additional cumulative bans of three years and nine months by France Galop for four additional charges which involved medication violations and another shadow operation. The medication violations included six horses in his care allegedly receiving injections between 48 and 72 hours before racing and without veterinary consultation or approval, and four horses allegedly receiving corticosteroids three days out from racing. It also encompassed the aforementioned Saint-Cloud syringe incident, during which Marcialis was reported to have been carrying a 20ml syringe filled with a clear liquid in the Saint-Cloud parking lot. Marcialis's two runners on that Saint-Cloud card were tested pre- and post-race, and though one came back positive pre-race, it was negative post-race.

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Marcialis Facing More Than Four Years In Bans

French-based trainer Andrea Marcialis, already serving a six-month ban for allegedly operating a shadow training operation, is now likely to be on the sidelines until April 2025 after an investigation by France Galop stewards led to charges against the 35-year-old for various instances of medication violations and shadow operations, Racing Post reports. The cumulative ban for the four additional charges is three years and nine months. Marcialis picked up his initial ban in December of last year after stewards deemed he and his sister, Elisabetta Marcialis, had conspired to train and run horses in the name of trainer Jean-Claude Napoli.

France Galop stewards found that six horses in Marcialis's care received injections between 48 and 72 hours before racing without a prescription or prior consultation from a veterinarian. Another case involved the seizure of receipts from Marcialis's stable last October that indicated that four of Marcialis's horses had received corticosteroids three days out from racing. One of those horses, Black Morning (GB) (Due Diligence), emerged lame from a race at Saint-Cloud two days after being prescribed the steroid Betnesol with instruction to not run for two weeks thereafter.

On Aug. 31, Marcialis was reported to Saint-Cloud officials after being seen by another trainer in the car park with a 20ml syringe filled with a clear liquid in his hand. Both Marcialis's runners on the card were tested pre- and post-race; one was positive pre-race but negative post-race, however, stewards deemed there was enough evidence to “constitute an act of deliberate doping on a racecourse.”

Marcialis, additionally, picked up a nine-month ban for allegedly running a second shadow operation in Chantilly with license holder Igor Endaltsev, and he was fined €4,000 for refusing to comply with officials in testing a horse at Lyon-Parilly last September. It is unclear at this stage if Marcialis plans to appeal any of the bans.

Marcialis's biggest win came last June courtesy of Way To Paris (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) in the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

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Way To Paris Has His Day In the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud

Good things come to those who wait and connections and fans of Way To Paris (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) gained a much-deserved moment in the sun as the 7-year-old was played late to take Sunday’s G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. Restrained in last early by Pierre-Charles Boudot, the ever-zestful grey emerged in the nick of time to deny the battling duo Nagano Gold (GB) (Sixties Icon {GB}) and Ziyad (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) by a neck and a head. “You are always a little bit worried when running horses back-to-back with short intervals, but it looked in the mornings as if he had kept his form,” trainer Andrea Marcialis said of the 6-5 favourite, who was runner-up in the G1 Prix Ganay at Chantilly June 14. “It is my and his first group 1 and he is so brave–I owe him so much and it is a great moment. I thought we were in trouble, but he found more and has a big heart. He’ll have a break now until the autumn.”

Way To Paris had come to prominence in 2018 when placed in the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly and G3 Prix d’Hedouville before being tried over staying trips at the beginning of the following season. Runner-up in the G3 Prix de Barbeville and G2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier at ParisLongchamp, he dropped to 14 furlongs to beat Marmelo (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) in the G2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil also at that venue in July before finishing second to Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G2 Prix Foy sent back there again in September. His last three starts prior to this saw him run second in the G2 Prix d’Harcourt also at ParisLongchamp May 11, gain a 4 1/2-length success in the latest edition of the Grand Prix de Chantilly staged at Deauville May 31 and run Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) to a head when second in the Ganay.

With Old Persian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) failing to fire and beaten in early straight, Pierre Charles-Boudot’s task was made easier and with the veteran giving him all the right signals it was just a case of when to ask him to extend. Ziyad refused to relent on the lead, as he had 12 months ago, but eventually had to give best to Nagano Gold only for them both to be swamped inside the last 100 metres by the popular grey. “I’m delighted–he deserved that and a mile and a half is much better for him than the Ganay distance,” the winning rider said. “He was more keen than usual during the race and it took a little while to get him to relax, so he maybe needs a break now.”

Way To Paris is the last living foal out of the G2 Premio Lydia Tesio winner Grey Way (Cozzene), whose previous best was the dual G1 Premio Presidente della Repubblica hero Distant Way (Distant View). Also responsible for the G3 Premio Ambrosiano winner Cima De Pluie (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), she hails from the family of the triple grade I-winning Redattore (Brz) (Roi Normand). This is the dam line of Intriguing (Swaps), producer of the champion Numbered Account (Buckpasser) who is herself the dam of the GI Beldame S. heroine and multiple stakes-producing Dance Number (Northern Dancer) and the sire Private Account.

Sunday, Saint-Cloud, France
GRAND PRIX DE SAINT-CLOUD-G1, €240,000, Saint-Cloud, 6-28, 4yo/up, 12fT, 2:29.98, g/s.
1–WAY TO PARIS (GB), 128, h, 7, by Champs Elysees (GB)
1st Dam: Grey Way (Hwt. 3yo-Ity at 9.5-11f, GSW-Ity & GSP-US, $195,033), by Cozzene
2nd Dam: Northern Naiad (Fr), by Nureyev
3rd Dam: Fascinating Trick, by Buckpasser
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (50,000gns Ylg ’14 TATOCT). O-Paolo Ferrario; B-Grundy Bloodstock Ltd (GB); T-Andrea Marcialis; J-Pierre-Charles Boudot. €137,136. Lifetime Record: MSW & MGSP-Ity, 34-7-10-4, €632,419. *1/2 to Distant Way (Distant View), Hwt. Older Horse-Ity at 9.5-11f, MG1SW-Ity, $1,192,161; Cima de Pluie (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), GSW-Ity, $197,979; and Secret de Vie (GB) (Fantastic Light), SP-Ity. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Nagano Gold (GB), 128, h, 6, Sixties Icon (GB)–Never Enough (Ger), by Monsun (Ger). (3,500gns Wlg ’14 TATFOA). O-Syndikat V3J; B-J Knight & E Cantillon (GB); T-Vaclav Luka. €54,864.
3–Ziyad (GB), 128, g, 5, Rock of Gibraltar (Ire)–Arme Ancienne (GB), by Sillery. O/B-Wertheimer & Frere (GB); T-Carlos Laffon-Parias. €27,432.
Margins: NK, HD, 6. Odds: 1.20, 6.70, 4.00.
Also Ran: Folamour (GB), Old Persian (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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