Eight Joe Sharp Trainees DQ'd in LA; Five More Pending Cases in KY

Eight horses trained by Joe Sharp at the Fair Grounds meet have been disqualified after testing positive for the drug levamisole. Sharp said that he had another five horses who tested positive for the same drug last fall at Churchill and he is awaiting word from Churchill Downs stewards on that matter.

The Louisiana positives were first reported by the Daily Racing Form.

The Louisiana horses were all placed last and Sharp was fined $1,000 for each infraction.

Levamisole, which Sharp said was found in an over-the-counter deworming product he purchased, is listed as a Class 2 drug by the Association of Racing Commissioners International. The ARCI's recommended penalty for a Class 2 positive is a $500 fine and a 15-day suspension for the first violation.

Sharp said he consulted with veterinarians before using the deworming product and was led to believe that usage would comply with all racing regulations.

“I consulted a veterinarian and they didn't give us any indication that there was a chance for it to build up in their system or that it contained a Class 2 drug, which was levamisole,” he said. “I didn't know anything about levamisole and now I know a lot about levamisole. Unfortunately, that is how these things go. It was an honest mistake.”

In 2017, The Racing Medication & Testing Consortium issued an advisory on levamisole in which it reported that the drug could be used off-label as an immunostimulant and as a medication for treatment of Equine Protozoal Myelitis (EPM). The RMTC also warned that levamisole could metabolize in the horse to aminorex, a potent stimulant that is a Class 1 drug. It said that a positive for aminorex could be career ending. None of the Sharp horses tested positive for the more potent substance.

“Obviously, we would never use something where we thought there was any chance of having a positive test, let alone 13 of them,” Sharp said. “I love my career. I don't wish to do anything to interrupt it. I can't thank the owners enough for how understanding and supportive they have been. It is a testament to our reputation and our character that people know this is not something that is part of our M.O.”

Among the horses disqualified was Tracksmith, the winner of Dec. 28 Woodchopper S. at the Fair Grounds. Sharp said the horse was last treated with the dewormer 16 days before that race.
Sharp said he did not know what to expect in the way of penalties from Kentucky authorities.

The levamisole positives could have led to a lengthy suspension, but Sharp said the penalties levied against him at the Fair Grounds were appropriate.

“I am very grateful that I didn't get a suspension,” he said. “This has weighed so heavily on me that it's been exhausting. To me, I know this was an innocent mistake and I know what kind of operation we are. So, I don't feel like we deserved more punishment than we got because there was no ill intent. I feel punished.”