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Vet Who Allegedly Bragged About Selling PEDs to Change Plea

Kristian Rhein, a veterinarian formerly based at Belmont Park whom federal prosecutors allegedly have on tape bragging that he sold “assloads” of the illegal performance-enhancing drug SGF-1000, has been granted an Aug. 3 change-of-plea hearing at which he is expected to alter his initial “not guilty” plea in the highly publicized racehorse doping scandal.

Rhein was allegedly part of a “widespread, corrupt scheme” dating to at least 2017 that allegedly involved the now-barred trainers Jorge Navarro and Jason Servis, plus a vast network of co-conspirators who allegedly manufactured, mislabeled, rebranded, distributed and administered performance- enhancing drugs to racehorses all across America and in international races.

Rhein's desire to change his plea comes just days after co-defendant Michael Kegley Jr. entered a guilty plea to one count of drug adulteration and misbranding July 23 in United States District Court (Southern District of New York) as part of a plea bargain agreement. Kegley will be sentenced Nov. 22.

Kegley told a federal judge last Friday that, “Beginning in 2016, I was an independent contractor for a company, MediVet Equine. We sold a variety of products, including SGF-1000. I sold these products to veterinarians, horse trainers. When I did that I knew there was no medical prescription for those products. Also at the time, I knew that the product was not manufactured in an FDA approved facility, nor was it approved for sale by the FDA.”

According to the initial March 2020 indictment, Rhein was one of those veterinarians to whom Kegley routinely sold SGF-1000.

SGF-1000, according to the indictment, was allegedly a drug of choice administered to racehorses trained by Servis, including to the disqualified 2019 GI Kentucky Derby winner Maximum Security.

According to the indictment, on June 5, 2019, Maximum Security was subjected to out-of-competition drug testing. This was allegedly a short time after the colt had received a shot of SGF-1000. Servis called Rhein out of concerns the colt might test positive.

“They don't even have a test for it in America,” Rhein allegedly told Servis during a wiretapped conversation, adding that the presence of SGF-1000 could, however, return a false positive for “Dex.”

The indictment stated that later that same day, Servis received a promise from another veterinarian who agreed to falsify records to make it appear that Maximum Security was treated with “Dex” and not the illegal SGF-1000.

On July 16, 2019, on another recorded phone call, Rhein and Kegley allegedly discussed how Servis and his associates are “buying literally as much” SGF-1000 as Rhein was able to source from Kegley's firm.

The indictment stated that “Rhein bragged that he was selling 'assloads' of SGF-1000.”

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Summer Southern Hemisphere Breeding Season Rates Set For Domestic Ashford Stud Residents

Ashford Stud has revealed its 2021 Southern Hemisphere season fees for its stallion roster remaining at the Versailles, Ky., farm over the summer, the South American publication Turf Diario reports.

A total of 10 stallions will be on offer for breedings on Southern Hemisphere time, led by champion Uncle Mo, whose advertised fee for the season is $30,000.

The 13-year-old son of Indian Charlie's Southern Hemisphere runners are led by Man From Uncle, who is a multiple group stakes winner in Australia. Other runners of note on that side of the world include Australian group-placed Moqueen, St Covet's Spirit, Miss Moana, and Sister Sledge.

Two young stallions will stand for $10,000: the international runner Caravaggio, whose first foals are 2-year-olds of 2021, and Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law, who recently completed his first Northern Hemisphere season at stud. Tiz the Law was initially scheduled to stand in Chile this summer, but he will remain in the U.S.

Maximum Security and Classic Empire will stand for $7,500, while Air Force Blue, Cupid, Echo Town, and Mo Town will stand for $5,000.

The post Summer Southern Hemisphere Breeding Season Rates Set For Domestic Ashford Stud Residents appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Doping Trial Likely to Get Pushed into 2022

Prosecutors in the federal case against alleged dopers Jorge Navarro, Jason Servis and 12 other defendants told the judge Friday they had no objection to the granting of yet another extension so defense attorneys can sift through the voluminous amount of evidence against their clients, a move that will likely push back the start of the long-awaited trial until 2022 at the earliest.

The May 7 letter from acting United States Attorney Audrey Strauss to U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil was filed fewer than 24 hours after defense attorneys filed their own, separate letter with the court signaling an intent to ask the judge to recuse herself from the case over alleged prejudices.

At deadline for this story, that official “Motion to Recuse” had not yet been filed, nor had the judge's purported conflicts been disclosed. But those separate letters from the defense and the prosecutors stem from discussions the parties had during a May 6 conference call, and all signs now point to the trial not starting until the two-year anniversary of the Mar. 9, 2020, arrests looms within sight.

Defense attorneys were already granted one extension two months ago to file motions to suppress evidence, which involves a massive batch of discovery documentation including transcripts of potentially incriminating phone recordings, emails and text messages.

The 14 defendants have all been implicated to various degrees in the alleged conspiracy to manufacture, mislabel, distribute and administer performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds across America and in international races.

Strauss's letter outlined a proposed timetable that would give the defense one additional month, until Aug. 27, to review and/or object to the evidence, with 90 days tacked on beyond that date to accommodate time for the prosecution to respond and for the defense to offer a standard final reply.

“The parties further conferred on the matter of expert disclosures and timing for any motions relating to the preclusion of proposed experts,” Strauss wrote. “The Government has to date identified two experts and provided summary reports relating to their anticipated testimony. No defense experts have yet been identified…Representatives of the defense have asked that deadlines for expert disclosures [be] set at the subsequent conference to be held in the Fall of 2021.”

The last status conference in the case was held in November; the next one is coming up May 14.

Servis (who transformed Maximum Security from a $16,000 maiden-claimer into a MGISW star during the time the feds collected evidence on his alleged stable-wide doping practices) and Navarro (whom the government allegedly has on tape boasting about dosing elite-level sprinter X Y Jet “with 50 injections” of PEDs prior to a win in the 2019 G1 Golden Shaheen in Dubai) are the two now-barred trainers headlining the case.

The 12 other defendants are drug manufacturers, distributors, stable employees, and veterinarians allegedly involved to various degrees in the five counts listed in the indictment. They are: Erica Garcia, Christopher Oakes, Michael Tannuzzo, Marcos Zulueta, Rebecca Linke, Kristian Rhein, Michael Kegley, Jr., Alexander Chan, Seth Fishman, Jordan Fishman, Lisa Giannelli, and Rick Dane, Jr.

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Lil Indy, Dam Of Maximum Security, Dies At Age 14

Lil Indy, the dam of champion Maximum Security, died Saturday evening while foaling a Curlin filly, owner Jane Lyon of Summer Wind Farm announced Monday on social media.

“It is with deep sadness I have to announce the passing of Lil Indy, the dam of Maximum Security,” Lyon wrote in her post. “She died foaling a beautiful Curlin filly Saturday evening. While she graced Summer Wind Farm for a far too short time, she captured our hearts with her sweet demeanor and beautiful spirit. She will always remain in our hearts. Godspeed Lil Indy, you were loved here.”

The 14-year-old daughter of Anasheed died having her second foal for the Summer Wind operation, following a Quality Road colt born in 2020 named Qualified.

Lil Indy was purchased by Summer Wind Farm for $1.85 million at the 2019 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, near the end of what would be Maximum Security's championship 3-year-old campaign. A year earlier, at the same sale, she sold to Korean breeding interests for $11,000.

At the time she was sold to Korea, the mare had an unremarkable resume. She'd produced two winners from three runners for breeders Gary and Mary West, but none had earned any black type. The Wests had purchased Lil Indy, pregnant for the first time to Pioneerof the Nile, for $80,000 at the 2014 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.

Within a few months after the 2018 transaction and the mare's export, West homebred Maximum Security, by New Year's Day, was on top of his division with a win in the Grade 1 Florida Derby. He'd go on to win the G1 Haskell Stakes and Cigar Handicap, and the G3 Bold Ruler Handicap, during the remainder of his 3-year-old campaign, and he famously was disqualified from first to 17th for interference in that year's Kentucky Derby.

Meanwhile, Lil Indy foaled out a full-sister to Maximum Security while she was in Korea, and the pair were brought back stateside to test the commercial waters after the success of the dam's most famous foal.

It was an incredible turnaround for Lil Indy, who sold as a yearling for $2,200 at the 2008 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale. She raced on the east coast over the course of her 19 career starts, graduating in a Delaware Park maiden claiming race in her eighth start, and later taking a claiming race at Penn National.

The post Lil Indy, Dam Of Maximum Security, Dies At Age 14 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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