As a result of standard out-of-competition testing, Gulfstream Park has taken immediate action to suspend five trainers that have been found to be in violation of the racetrack’s clenbuterol restrictions.
Gulfstream Park enacted the restriction on clenbuterol as a house rule at the beginning of the 2019-2020 championship meet to further address and implement improved safety, transparency, and accountability standards.
A total of ten barns at Gulfstream Park were randomly tested. Five trainers returned clean samples while the five trainers who have been suspended returned a total of 12 positives. Both hair and blood samples were taken.
The suspended trainers are Georgina Baxter, Gilberto Zerpa, Peter Walder, Rohan Crichton and Daniel Pita, a Gulfstream Park spokesman said.
“As we have said before, individuals who do not embrace the rules and safety measures that put horse and rider safety above all else will have no place at any 1/ST racetrack,” said Aidan Butler, COO of 1/ST Racing. “At 1/ST we are committed to achieving the highest standard of horse care and safety. We expect that the stakeholders who race and train at our facilities share in that commitment.”
The suspended trainers' entered horses have been scratched and they will not be permitted to enter any horse they train for any race at 1/ST Racing venues until the completion of the suspension. To return to racing, they must also submit to follow up testing and have clean blood and urine samples. The twelve affected horses will be permitted to train as a part of their daily care and exercise routines.
The suspensions range from ten to forty days depending on the number of violations that a trainer has received and are effective as of Oct. 1. Each trainer has been handed a US$1000 fine per violation which will go directly to support Thoroughbred aftercare initiatives.
Clenbuterol is a steroid-like chemical that was initially developed to treat asthma in horses, working by relaxing the airways in the animals’ lungs.
The drug is both a decongestant and a bronchodilator. A decongestant thins the blood to reduce blood pressure while a bronchodilator widens the vessels that carry oxygen, so the volume of oxygen in the blood increases.
