Zulueta among more than two dozen defendants for doping
Former trainer Marcos Zulueta, who pleaded guilty to one count of horse doping in October, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison on Thursday.
Based in the mid-Atlantic, Zulueta was among more than two dozen defendants federally-charged for horse doping in 2020. His guilty plea was for one count of adulteration and misbranding drugs with the intent to defraud, according to court documents.
Zulueta, who is currently out on bond, was ordered to report to prison on May 24 by Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. According to the Thoroughbred Daily News, he will serve his sentence at Fairton, a medium-security facility in New Jersey.
Zulueta, 53, faced a maximum of three years under federal sentencing guidelines. He was also ordered to forfeit $47,525, which prosecutors said amounted to his purse earnings from races where illegal substances were administered.
As part of its evidence against Zulueta, prosecutors presented wiretaps where Zulueta could be heard discussing doping horses with former trainer Jorge Navarro, who has already been sentenced to a maximum five-year sentence for his role in the scheme.
According to BloodHorse, also on Thursday Vyskocil said the trial of indicted former trainer Jason Servis will begin in 2023. It was originally scheduled for later this year.
In his career, Zulueta won at a 24 percent clip with 455 winners from 1,884 starters. His best year came in 2016 when his stable banked $2.5 million.
