Ohio Trainer Suspended One Year For Class 1A Drug In Claimed Winner

The stewards at Thistledown have imposed a one-year suspension and $1,000 fine on trainer  Alejandro Murillo Rodriguez after a 2-to-5 winning favorite from his stable tested positive for metabolites of the Class 1/Penalty Category A drug Nikethamide on June 21.

Murillo Rodriguez has appealed the penalties. Potentially complicating the adjudication is that the horse in question, Two Eagles (Morning Line), got claimed for $7,500 out of that sprint victory against fellow Ohio-breds. Two Eagles subsequently started and ran fifth for new connections on July 18. The stewards did note in the Aug. 8 ruling that the entire matter would be referred to the Ohio Racing Commission.

Nikethamide is a respiratory and circulatory stimulant that was developed in the mid-20th Century to reverse tranquilizer overdoses in humans. It is no longer used for that purpose because of the evolution of safer, more effective, medications and is not believed to be legally sold in the United States for any human or veterinary purpose.

But online searches bring up plenty of ways to acquire Nikethamide via sources in Argentina and Europe. The drug has gained black-market favor with high-altitude mountaineers who use it in lozenge form to gain a respiratory efficiency boost, despite the known risks to cardiac health.

The Ohio-based Murillo Rodriguez has been training since 2018. He currently has 15 wins from 113 starters this year. The website thoroughbredrulings.com that is maintained by The Jockey Club lists one previous drug infraction for Murillo Rodriguez, a $1,000 fine for a dexamethasone overage in a Mahoning Valley winner in 2020.

Class 1A medications on the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) Uniform Classification of Substances list are considered the most dangerous and harmful drugs, and thus carry the highest recommended penalties. The ARCI's recommended penalty for a first-time 1/A violation by a trainer is a minimum one-year suspension and a minimum fine of $10,000.

Decades ago, Nikethamide was abused by human athletes and administered to equine athletes to get them to run faster. It seemed to fade from the doping scene in the early 2000s decade, but has resurfaced sporadically since then in both human sports (professional tennis player Marin Cilic in 2013) and in racehorses.

Its recent detection in Thoroughbreds has resulted in penalties that have included a six-month trainer suspension and $5,000 fine (West Virginia in 2013) and a $75,000 fine and a four-year suspension (New Mexico in 2017).

According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, “It is well known that Nikethamide is metabolized very rapidly…Hence, there is difficulty in proving that Nikethamide has been used as a doping substance.”

Unless he prevails with his appeal, Murillo Rodriguez's suspension starts Aug. 18 and will run through Aug. 17, 2023. Two Eagles has been disqualified from the victory for then-owner Murillo AAA Racing, with the purse money redistributed.

The post Ohio Trainer Suspended One Year For Class 1A Drug In Claimed Winner appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Trainer Who Testified Against Fishman Faces Lifetime Ban

Trainer Jamen Davidovich, who admitted Thursday during the trial of Seth Fishman that he bought and used performance-enhancing drugs supplied by the veterinarian, has been suspended by the Ohio Racing Commission, a first step in what could lead to a permanent revocation of his license.

Davidovich testified that Fishman, one of 27 individuals originally indicted in the doping probe that includes high-profile trainers Jorge Navarro and Jason Servis, began supplying him with drugs after the two met at a Ft. Lauderdale restaurant. Asked by prosecutor Anden Chow how the subject of PEDs came up, Davidovich responded, “We were talking about different things to make the horse run better.”

Davidovich, 31, races primarily in Ohio and the commission in that state wasted little time taking action Friday. According to Ohio State Racing Commission executive director Chris Dragone, Davidovich's license has been suspended pending a hearing. The news that the Ohio commission had taken action against Davidovich was first reported by the Blood-Horse.

“He's entitled to a hearing and we'll see what he has to say,” Dragone said.

Dragone said that if the evidence shows that Davidovich doped horses his license could be permanently suspended.

“We haven't seen the transcripts (from the Fishman trial) yet,” Dragone said. “But from everything I have heard and from what he said, this was blatant. This is very serious. This came out of the blue and we had no notice so far as what he was going to say in court. But when he said in court that he drugged horses we had to take action. And it's possible that he may have his license revoked and that he will be ruled off for life.”

Reached by the TDN, Davidovich said he had no comment.

After winning just five races in 2014, Davidovich's career took off in 2015 when he went 25-for-99 (25%). He was 21-for-81 in 2016 and 9-for-59 in 2017. He said during the trial that he stopped doping in 2018, which is when his fortunes changed. Since 2018, he has won just six races from 51 starters.

Thursday's court room proceedings also included testimony from harness trainer Adrienne Hall, who also admitted she used PEDs supplied by Fishman. She last started a horse in December at the Meadowlands. Meadowlands owner Jeff Gural said he has not yet decided if he will ban Hall from his tracks.

The post Trainer Who Testified Against Fishman Faces Lifetime Ban appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Equibase ‘Investigating’ Incident In Which Horse Reported Scratched Won At Thistledown

Tuesday's first race at Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio, was won by a horse named Chargedwith Intent. Part of a two-horse entry in the race, Chargedwith Intent had been reported scratched prior to the running of the race on Equibase, while his stablemate Swift Punch had been reported as running. Both horses are trained by Robert Gorham.

Instead, Swift Punch did not appear in the starting gate, and Chargedwith Intent went on to win the race. The race was off at 12:55 p.m. Eastern, and Equibase did not correct the error until after the race had been run, at 1:06 p.m.

“Equibase is aware of the matter involving the first race at [Thistledown] racetrack today,” Equibase said in a statement on social media. “We have been in contact with our limited partner, [Thistledown racetrack], and are currently investigating the matter.”

On the official chart, Swift Punch is listed a scratch by his trainer.

Pat Cummings, executive director of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation, posted on Twitter a letter he sent to the Ohio Racing Commission requesting an investigation of the error.

“At best, this is a mistake, perhaps by the track, or recipients of information from the track or its vendors,” Cummings wrote. “At worst, something potentially nefarious occurred. It is impossible for customers who wagered more than $128,000 on bets within and connected to this race to know for certain what occurred, but they have been aggrieved by this incident.”

The post Equibase ‘Investigating’ Incident In Which Horse Reported Scratched Won At Thistledown appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights