Racehorses fail doping test in Burlco

Six racehorses from a Burlington County farm were the first to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs under New Jersey's new drug-testing protocols, the state Attorney General's office announced yesterday.

Late last year, the New Jersey Racing Commission changed its rules to allow horses to be tested for drugs on farms and at any time. Previously, horses could only be tested on New Jersey's four racetracks and only on the day of competition.

The harness-race horses from Winner's International Farm in Chesterfield tested positive last month for Erythropoietin, also known as EPO, which can enhance oxygen consumption but can also lead to heart attack or stroke.

EPO thickens the blood by stimulating the production of red blood cells over a period of time, increasing users' strength.

The hormone is used to treat certain types of anemia in humans and has also been used by human athletes to enhance performance.

The results of the drug tests were confirmed Monday through a second test conducted at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center for veterinary medicine.

The horses were under the care of trainer Ernest Adam and owned by Stephen C. Slender, authorities said. The commission is issuing both with notices of hearing, listing their alleged rule violations.

Reached by cell phone, Adam said, "I have no idea how this happened. I don't use those kinds of products."

He added: "I did not do this, but I understand the rules that you are accountable for your horses."

Adam said Slender leases the stable where he works from Winner's International Farm.

Horse trainers tend to the exercising, grooming and feeding of horses.

Slender did not return calls for comment yesterday.

Greg Fabbri, a supervising special investigator in Sacramento for the California Horse Racing Board, said Slender's license to work as a veterinarian on California racetracks expired in October. The state declined to renew the license, and details were not immediately available. Slender received a stay from a California court to allow him to continue racing horses with his owner's license.

Frank Zanzuccki, executive director of the New Jersey Racing Commission, said the group revised its drug-testing protocols after it realized the previous method of testing was unlikely to catch EPO use.

"The way the drug is used is through a series of treatments that occur well before the race so when the horses appear at the racetrack to race, the test that we would employ at that point would not be able to detect the presence of the drug, yet the effects would still be active in the horse," Zanzuccki said.

He likened the new testing protocols to those used on cyclists in the Olympics.

Since last October, the racing commission has had hundreds of horses tested at about a half-dozen farms, Zanzuccki said. Some were chosen randomly and others, including Winner's International, because of tips.

"We have always tried to make sure that races are conducted on a level playing field and we've always been in the forefront of developing regulations to try to detect the illegal use of drugs in horses, and we will continue to do that," Zanzuccki said.

"I hope it acts as a deterrent for anybody thinking of using the substance in New Jersey. We certainly have the capability of detecting it, and our rules are such that even one violation will produce a very severe penalty."

A first offense is punishable with a 10-year license suspension and a $50,000 fine. A second offense could result in a permanent license revocation.

The six horses are now ineligible to compete in New Jersey, as well as Pennsylvania. Each of the horses has raced at Freehold and the Meadowlands this year, as well as at tracks in Pennsylvania and New York.

A total of 18 horses were tested at Winner's International Farm, Zanzuccki said.

Adam and Slender remain eligible to participate in New Jersey racing pending their hearings on the alleged violations. The hearings have not yet been scheduled.

The six horses testing positive were Art Maker, which raced Sunday at Harrah's Chester Casino & Racetrack; Jeremy's Successor, which last raced at the Meadowlands on Sunday; Jovial Joker N, which last raced at Saratoga, N.Y., on Sunday; JW Dutch Treat, which last raced at Yonkers, N.Y., on April 24; Pacific Playboy, which last raced at Harrah's Chester on Sunday; and Western Mac, which last raced at Harrah's Chester on April 20.

Pacific Playboy on Sunday tied a track record at Harrah's Chester, pacing a mile in 1 minute, 48 3/5 seconds.

Yesterday, Mike Tanner, the director of racing operations at Harrah's Chester Casino & Racetrack, said, effective immediately, "Harrah's Chester will not accept entries from trainer Ernest Adam and owner Stephen Slender. Similarly, the horses that were listed as testing positive for EPO will not be allowed to race at Harrah's Chester."

"We now have gone from celebrating a world record to questioning its veracity. It's the last thing the sport needs. We will meet internally [today] to discuss other possible courses of action and will continue to monitor any further developments," he said.