NEY YORK, USA - More than two dozen people, including the trainer of champion Maximum Security, have been charged in what authorities described Monday as a widespread international scheme to drug horses to make them race faster.
Trainer Jason Servis, whose stable includes the 3-year-old champion, was charged with administering performance-enhancing drugs to that horse and others. Maximum Security crossed the finish line first at the 2019 Kentucky Derby before being disqualified for interference and has since won four of his five high-profile races.
The charges against trainers, veterinarians and others were detailed in four indictments unveiled Monday in Manhattan federal court. Charges brought against the 27 people include drug adulteration and misbranding conspiracy.
Performance-enhancing drugs "were given to racehorses in an effort to increase their performance beyond their natural abilities,'' William F. Sweeney Jr., assistant director in charge of the FBI New York Office, said at a news conference. "What actually happened to the horses amounted to nothing less than abuse. They experienced cardiac issues, overexertion leading to leg fractures, increased risk of injury, and, in some cases, death. Conversely, the human being involved in the scheme continued to line their purses as they manipulated this multibillion-dollar horse racing industry across the globe.''
Authorities said the drugs can cause horses to overexert themselves, leading to heart issues or death. According to the indictments, other drugs used to deaden a horse's sensitivity to pain to improve the horse's performance could also lead to leg fractures.
Authorities said participants in the fraud -- affecting races in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky and the United Arab Emirates -- misled government agencies, including federal and state regulators, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, various state horse racing regulators and the betting public.
Federal authorities searched barns in Florida and a manufacturing facility in Kentucky. The Stronach Group, which operates Gulfstream Park West and Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, said it complied with the search warrants specific only to the barns and stalls of those charged.
"The Stronach Group is committed to achieving the highest level of horse care and safety standards in thoroughbred racing,'' the company said in a statement. "There is no room in our sport for anyone who does not prioritize the health and well-being of horses and riders.''
The group, which also operates Santa Anita Park in California and Pimlico Racecourse and Laurel Park in Maryland, was not charged. There is no evidence these charges have any connection to racehorse deaths at Santa Anita in 2019.
In the indictment, Servis is charged with giving Maximum Security a performance-enhancing drug called SGF-1000, recommending it to another trainer and conspiring with a veterinarian to make it look like a false positive for another substance. The other trainer, Jorge Navarro, is also among those charged.
Maximum Security on Feb. 29 won the world's richest race, the $10 million Saudi Cup.
Servis is alleged to have given performance-enhancing drugs to "virtually all the racehorses under his control." He entered horses in races approximately 1,082 times from 2018 through February 2020, according to authorities.
"The charges in this indictment result from a widespread, corrupt scheme by racehorse trainers, veterinarians, PED (performance-enhancing drug) distributors and others to manufacture, distribute and receive adulterated and misbranded PEDs and to secretly administer those PEDs to racehorses under scheme participants' control," an indictment reads.
Prosecutors noted in indictments that professional horse racing is a $100 billion industry followed by millions of fans worldwide, leading racehorses to sell at auction for well over $1 million.
