This Racehorse Tested Positive for Meth, But Its Trainer's Punishment Wasn't Enough for Animal Activists
Performance-enhancing drugs have led to wins and prize money being revoked for many athletes over the years, but it's rarer to see an animal come under fire for drug use. A racehorse named Gardy's Legacy has now found itself at the center of a doping scandal of sorts, though not one involving typical performance enhancers.
Gardy's Legacy won a race at the MGM Northfield Park in Ohio on Sept. 3 and was given a blood test after the victory. The test came back positive for D-methamphetamine, which the U.S. Trotting Association regards as a Class 1 Category A offense. As a result, the Ohio State Racing Commission suspended the horse's trainer Samuel Schillaci for one year and ordered him to pay a $1,000 fine. The horse was disqualified from the race and the $4,500 in winnings were returned.
Controversial animal rights organization PETA, however, felt the punishment didn't go far enough. "Evidence shows this trainer administered a dangerous street drug to a horse and got a slap on the wrist for it," PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said in a statement pleading the commission to go further. "There should be no place in Ohio racing—which receives subsidies that could be going to the state—for someone who risks a horse’s life with meth.
"This small administrative fine and suspension aren’t commensurate with such a serious violation," Guillermo continued. "Administering meth endangers a horse’s life, and trainers who treat a horse so callously will do the same to others too. The commission should consider not only the safety of Gardy's Legacy but also that of all the other horses in Schillaci’s barn.
"Those who demonstrate such cruelty even one time show a clear disregard for the regulations and shouldn’t be granted the privilege of competing in your state ever again," she concluded. "By permanently barring Schillaci from competing in Ohio, you would create a safer environment for all participants."
The Ohio State Racing Commission, meanwhile, said that it's done as much as it legally can to punish the trainer for giving the horse the drugs. "The judges gave the maximum penalty allowed by law. Statutorily, the maximum that a judge can issue is a $1,000 fine and a one year suspension," the organization told local news station FOX 8.
Hopefully meth doesn't become the hottest new steroid among humans any time soon.
