ORC races to clean up sport's tainted image

[skippy]

Horse racing's regulatory body on crusade after charging three harness trainers

By ROB LONGLEY
Tue, February 20, 2007

Racing officials are confident a flurry of recent positive tests for doping horses will help rid the struggling industry of cheaters.

In its latest bust, the Ontario Racing Commission has charged three southern Ontario harness trainers whose horses it says tested positive for the potent amphetamine Aminorex.

"(Enhanced drug testing) is something we need to address and something we are addressing as aggressively as anyone in the world," Ontario Racing Commission executive director John Blakney said yesterday in an interview.

"Hopefully we will soon see to it that possible cheaters will look for another way to make a living."

Though the investigation is ongoing, ORC supervisor Bill Fines confirmed yesterday that trainers Anthony Montini, Jeff Gillis and Anthony Haughan have been charged.

The action comes at a tumultuous time for an industry struggling to maintain public confidence.

Last week the ORC announced it is investigating 20 positive tests for the diuretic torsemide. Considered a "Class 3" substance, guilty parties face a minimum 60-day suspension. The ORC has yet to name the trainers involved pending its investigation.

The torsemide positives came from five Ontario tracks including Woodbine and London's Western Fair Raceway.

Finally, over the past six months, the government watchdog has nailed five horsemen with 10-year suspensions for use and/or possession of the designer EPO drug Arenesp.

Meantime, Ontario Provincial Police investigators are probing potential racing connections to the murder last week of Ottawa-area trainer Randy Rankin, an outspoken advocate for cleaning up racing. Weeks prior to his death, Rankin had threatened to expose possible dopers on a prominent racing chatroom.

Industry leaders are applauding the actions of the ORC, which regulates horse racing in the province and maintains the integrity of the sport.

"To people who say washing our laundry in public is not a good thing, I say the alternative is not washing our laundry," Woodbine Entertainment Group CEO David Willmot said yesterday. "We need to see the increase of healthy paranoia among horsemen. Those inclined to cheat have to be worried enough that their chances of getting caught are so great that they won't take the risk."

Montini, Gillis and Haughan all had horses entered on Saturday and Sunday at Woodbine but were ruled ineligible by ORC officials and scratched from their races.

They were told of the charges but will not be suspended officially until the investigation is complete.

"This is ridiculus," Montini said when reached late last night. "This is a Class 1 drug that would jeopardize our careers in a big way. None of us would want to risk our careers over something like this."

Because Aminorex is considered a Class 1 drug under federal guidelines, if found guilty the trainers would be subject to a minimum suspension of one year and maximum of five. Any ORC penalty may be appealed.

Montini is the most prominent of the trio as he is coming off a stellar 2006 season in which he finished third in wins with 79 on the Woodbine-Mohawk circuit. He is best known for his pacer Primetime Bobcat, who turned heads with a 1:47 2/5 Canadian record mile last May at Woodbine.

"People tell me we set the industry a little on its heels and that we've captured their attention," Blakney said. "To what extent is immeasurable.

But what is clear is that if they are willing to take the risk, fine. Eventually we will identify them and take severe action."

The ORC isn't alone in its fight. Last week, Woodbine management added three more trainers to its detention barn program, boosting the number under surveillance to five.

Horses conditioned by Canada's top trainer for the past two years, Casie Coleman, plus those from Dave Menary, Sandra Houghton, Todd Clements and Wayne Prezcator are required to report to Woodbine 24 hours before post time. No allegations of wrong-doing have been made against these five.

"It's complete (crap), I've done nothing wrong," Coleman told Sun Media in December.

None have positive tests pending, but citing private property laws, track management issued the directive so that horses can be monitored by security prior to racing.

[skippy]

Originally Posted by skippy

.....
Montini is the most prominent of the trio as he is coming off a stellar 2006 season in which he finished third in wins with 79 on the Woodbine-Mohawk circuit. He is best known for his pacer Primetime Bobcat, who turned heads with a 1:47 2/5 Canadian record mile last May at Woodbine.....

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/new...obcat0513.html

This thing was 9 yrs old when it set that record.
Horses are in their prime at ages 3 and 4 and it goes downhill from there.

This is like saying a 50 year old man was able to shatter the world record in the 100M dash.

[njtrader]

they better start testing for vodka... you guys catch that one from a NJ VET??

[skippy]

Originally Posted by njtrader

they better start testing for vodka... you guys catch that one from a NJ VET??

No....not yet.

Post it if you find it.

Horses love beer too.

[njtrader]

ill look for it... i think it was posted here about 1.5 months ago... but, the jist of it was that the vet was injecting harness horses with vodka... which is illegal... he ended up pleading guilty but, i dont know what happened after that... I ride racehorses for a living and stay on a farm 5-6 months during the winter... The beer statement is without anydoubt true... but then again ive seen them eat/drink just about anything they could get...