American racing rocked by fresh doping charges

AMERICAN racing is facing a fresh crisis this week following serious doping-related criminal charges brought by a state prosecutor against 27 individuals connected to the racing industry including trainers Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro.

Servis is the trainer of Maximum Security, one of North America’s highest-rated horses and winner of the $20 million Saudi Cup last month. The charges against Servis specifically mention Maximum Security as one of the horses who was administered illegal performance-enhancing drugs in 2019.

Navarro is best known internationally as the trainer of X Y Jet, winner of the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen in Meydan last year, having been runner-up in the same race in 2018. A significant portion of the 44-page indictment is devoted to the alleged doping of X Y Jet. The evidence includes recorded phone calls and text messages. X Y Jet died of a heart attack earlier this year.

The owners of Maximum Security have already moved the horse to trainer Bob Baffert, while several state racing authorities have either suspended the licences of the two trainers or scratched their entries.

Also named as defendants in the indictments are veterinarians, a pharmacist, and individuals who allegedly made and distributed the illegal performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

The principal drug the trainers are accused of using is referred to SGF-1000, which is designed to be untraceable in official post-race tests.

Believed to have originated in Australia, SGF-1000 was allegedly copied by an American pharma company who claimed the drug “rejuvenates and regenerates cells; improves stamina and performances; increases desire for physical activity; and is safe for competition.

“SGF-1000 is an innovative solution of unique proteins, cytokines, peptides and growth factors derived from ovine [sheep] placental extract.”

In a recorded phone call, Servis is alleged to have told Navarro he was using SGF-1000 “on everything almost” in his barn. The indictment quotes another telephone call in which a veterinarian told Servis: “They don’t even have a test for it ... There’s no test for it in America.”

A statement issued by the US Attorney’s Office in New York said: “The charges in these four indictments arise from an investigation of widespread schemes 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 competing at all levels of professional horseracing.”

Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said: “Today’s unsealing of four indictments for widespread doping of racehorses is the largest ever of its kind from the Department of Justice. These defendants engaged in this conduct not for the love of the sport, and certainly not out of concern for the horses, but for money.

“And it was the racehorses that paid the price for the defendants’ greed. The care and respect due to the animals competing, as well as the integrity of racing, are matters of deep concern to the people of this District and to this Office.”

Some of the charges laid against Servis and Navarro carry a maximum five-year prison sentence.

The US Jockey Club, which controls the American Stud Book, issued a statement which pledged total cooperation with the authorities on the investigations and prosecutions. It said the Jockey Club “understands that this investigation and the criminal investigation and related prosecutions will be painful and controversial, but the integrity of the sport and the health of all racehorses demanded action. From this point forward, it will be critical to the future of the sport that the reforms that are so badly needed are pressed forward by all segments of the industry — by everyone truly interested in clean competition and the safety and welfare of horse and rider.”

Text messages quoted in US attorney’s office charge sheet

“[The track official] would’ve caught our asses f***ing pumping and pumping and fuming every f***ing horse [that] runs today.” – text message allegedly sent by Jorge Navarro to Jason Servis following a tip-off that racing officials were searching for evidence of doping.

“You know how many f***ing horses he [Navarro] killed and broke down that I made disappear? You know how much trouble he could get in … if they found out … the six horses we killed?” – Text message sent by trainer Nicholas Surick, allegedly referring to Navarro.