Gary and Mary West, owners of 2020 Saudi Cup winner Maximum Security, released a statement late Friday night saying they would support a redistribution of the race's $20-million purse. The statement was issued via Twitter @Sire Watch, the account of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, of which the Wests are clients.
Maximum Security won the February 29 race King Abdulaziz Racecourse several days prior to a federal indictment of 27 individuals, including his trainer, Jason Servis, that alleged “widespread, corrupt scheme by racehorse trainers, veterinarians, PED distributors and others to manufacture, distribute, and receive adulterated and misbranded PEDs and to secretly administer those PEDs to racehorses under scheme participants' control.”
Saudi officials froze the $10-million winner's share of the 2020 race's purse as Servis' case went through the legal process.
Servis pleaded guilty to those charges in court Friday and now faces the possibility of four years in prison when he is sentenced May 18, 2023 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
“We believe in the justice system and have patiently waited for the legal prosecution to take its course. Now that Jason Servis has entered a guilty plea, we want to make it clear that if the Saudi Cup decides to redistribute the purse, we would support that decision. Hopefully, that action will prevent future conduct of this nature. We believe the decision to take the Saudi Cup purse from Maximum Security and redistribute it is the correct one. There will be no further statements or comments.” The statement was signed Gary and Mary West.
Sid Fernando, of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, prefaced the Wests' Twitter statement with the note: “WTC clients Gary and Mary West have asked us to release this statement regarding the guilty plea of Jason Servis, who trained the Wests' homebred Maximum Security.”
While the remaining four of the Saudi Cup's top five finishers were paid their share of the purse, the Wests were denied the winner's share when allegations against Servis arose.
Finishing behind Maximum Security in the Saudi Cup was Midnight Bisou in second, Benbatl in third; Mucho Gusto, fourth; and Tacitus, fifth.
“We are sort of in a hold position now waiting for the U.S. authorities to move forward with that case,” said Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, at the 2021 Saudi Cup.
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