cocaine

Following discussions with HISA's ADMC Committee, HIWU will no longer impose Provisional Suspensions on Covered Persons upon the service of an Equine Anti-Doping Notice for an Adverse Analytical Finding (i.e., positive test result) for Banned Substances that are recognized as substances of abuse in humans, the unit said in a release Friday. Examples that fall under this category include cocaine, methamphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). If a Covered Horse's A Sample tests positive for one of these Banned Substances, a Provisional Suspension will not be imposed on the relevant...

Trainer Keri Brion, whose stable includes both flat and steeplechase horses, has been provisionally suspended by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) after a horse she trained allegedly tested positive for cocaine following a Sept. 19 race at Presque Isle Downs. The horse, Chasing After You (Speightstown), won the race, a $25,000 claiming event. Provisional suspensions can result in suspensions of up to two years. The suspension has been postponed because Brion has yet to either request a split sample or inform HIWU that she has waived her right...

Two licensed grooms were arrested Thursday on felony charges of cocaine possession and intent to sell after a police investigation of the Saratoga Race Course backstretch. The Saratoga Springs Police Department's Special Investigations Unit--who worked in tandem with the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office and New York Racing Association (NYRA) security--arrested Jose Hidalgo, 59, and Guadalupe Montesdecoa-Aguilar, 36, for possession of over 200 grams of cocaine. According to the Times-Union, the employees have worked for trainer Charlton Baker, who is not implicated in any criminal activity. Hidalgo and Montesdecoa-Aguilar have been...

Jockey Benoit de la Sayette, who had been suspended after returning a positive test for cocaine in the spring, could return to the saddle in October after attending a British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel on Thursday. De la Sayette was given a six-month ban backdated to April. A rising star for the John and Thady Gosden yard after riding Haqeeqy (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) to a win in the Lincoln at Doncaster, a video circulated on social media of De la Sayette allegedly at a party in the presence...

A saliva testing trial, a screening method for cocaine and some other banned substances, is now under way at UK racecourses, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Wednesday. Utilising oral swabs, the testing method results are provided near-instantly indicating whether substances are present in a rider's system above existing thresholds. If the trial is successful, British racing will become the first major sport in Britain to utilise on-the-day screening for banned substances through oral swabs. If a jockey does not test negative during the trial, they would be stood down...

Benoit de la Sayett has returned a positive test for cocaine, the Professional Jockeys Association announced on Tuesday morning. The British Horseracing Authority has subsequently suspended De La Sayette until the end of the disciplinary process. The 18-year-old apprentice jockey to John and Thady Gosden was shown in a video on social media in late March allegedly in the presence of the drug at a party after winning the Unibet Lincoln H. at Doncaster aboard Haqeeqy (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) on Mar. 27. At that time, the PJA defended...