Maximum Security Trainer Charged in Horse Doping Scandal

More than two dozen horse racing trainers, veterinarians and others were indicted on Monday for their roles in a scheme that federal investigators describe as a “systematic and covert administration of illegal performance-enhancing drugs (“PEDs”) to racehorses competing across the United States and abroad.”

The indictments were brought by the District Attorney of the Southern District of New York. Trainers Jorge Navarro and Jason Servis were among those indicted. Jason Servis is the trainer of Maximum Security, who crossed the finish line first at the 2019 Kentucky Derby but was later disqualified for interference.

More recently, Maximum Security won the Saudi Cup and $10 million of the race’s $20 million purse. This is a tragic result for the inaugural edition of the race, which BloodHorse recently described as “a major step in the Saudi government’s effort to open the kingdom to other nations and cultures.”

Wide-Ranging Doping Allegations

A Department of Justice press release alleges Servis doped “virtually all horses under his control, including Maximum Security.” The indictments further allege Servis worked with veterinarians and other individuals to conceal his horse racing doping scheme through the use of falsified veterinary bills and fake prescriptions to defraud regulators, investigators and the betting public.

Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman described the extent of the findings in today’s press release as follows:

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.

According to the Paulick Report, New York FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney, Jr explained the findings were incidental to another investigation into an unrelated matter:

It actually started as a different case on a different topic altogether. One thing led to another, and this information came forward, and the team of agents and detectives worked it from there. One agent in particular was actually an expert in this industry from a prior life. He was part of the team, and they did great work.

The revelations are equally destructive for horse racing betting, which operates on a currency of trust between bettors and the industry as a whole. That corruption can extend all the way to the highest levels of the sport, involving not just a single bad actor but dozens of conspirators, is something bettors will remember for a long time to come.

No Allegations of a Connection to Santa Anita Deaths

Search warrants were executed at specific barns at Palm Meadows Training Center and Gulfstream Park West, both Stronach Group properties. In a statement, the Stronach Group confirmed certain barns and stalls belonging to some of the individuals charged were searched by investigators.

The Stronach Group has not been accused of any wrongdoing and the indictment draws no connection to the string of horse deaths last year at Santa Anita, another Stronach property.

Some of the Santa Anita deaths may be related to track surface issues, and an investigation into the course found no wrongdoing.

As DRF reported in December, the Santa Anita investigation concluded:

In many of the fatalities, the necropsies have revealed horses had preexisting medical conditions, but presented as asymptomatic. During Task Force interviews, treating veterinarians, trainers and riders confirmed they did not identify any red flags that would have alerted them to the horses’ preexisting degenerative conditions.

Defendants Accused of Endangering Horses

One of the indictments unveiled today accuses the defendants of imperiling “the health and well-being of racehorses by… masking a horse’s ability to feel pain, thereby causing the horse to overexert itself during periods of intense exercise, which can lead to accidents, broken limbs, or death.”

An intercepted phone call between two of the defendants named in the indictments appears particularly damning:

You know how many f*** horses he [Navarro] f*** killed and broke down that I made [ ] disappear… You know much trouble he could get in…. if they found out… the six horses we killed?

According to investigators, the defendants affected races held in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky and the United Arab Emirates.