Clenbuterol case against Jeffrey Englehart dropped by Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit

The Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit has dropped a case against trainer Jeffery Englehart after testing revealed that a banned drug, clenbuterol, could not have been administered while the horse was in his care, according to the organization.

In a statement, HIWU said that the case was dropped after segmented testing on a hair sample from an unnamed horse trained by Englehart “indicated that clenbuterol was administered to [the horse] prior to his becoming the horse’s responsible person.” The horse, who suffered a catastrophic injury following a workout in November, was bought by a client of Englehart’s in June and shipped to his barn following the sale.

Englehart, who was not suspended while the confirmatory test for clenbuterol was pending, had urged HIWU to use segmented testing on the hair sample as confirmation. Segmented hair sampling can be used to determine when some substances were ingested or administered to a horse, much like tree rings can be analyzed to determine a tree’s age or the environmental conditions prevalent at the time the ring was laid down.

According to Englehart, the confirmatory test showed that the clenbuterol was administered 7 to 9 months prior to the November workout.

“I’m really emotional right now,” Englehart said. “This has been a nightmare. But I can say that HIWU and HISA are very important to the longevity of this sport, and I’m really glad that they did the right thing in this case.”

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Englehart, who has had multiple positives for regulated medications under HIWU’s rules, including one that drew a seven-day suspension, was facing a two-year suspension for the clenbuterol positive.

The case featured a number of unusual circumstances, including the fact that the horse did not test positive in blood for clenbuterol. Under HIWU rules, horses that suffer catastrophic injuries must also have a sample of their hair tested, which is not generally the case in post-race testing or out-of-competition testing.

Clenbuterol and some other substances can be found in hair long after they have been administered. Englehart had speculated that the substance was administered in preparation for the 2-year-old sale in Ocala where the colt was bought. While auction companies have policies on prohibited drugs and conduct some random sampling to enforce those rules, horses are not considered to be under the jurisdiction of HIWU or the rules of its administrator, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, until they make an official workout.

While banned in racing, clenbuterol, a powerful bronchial dilator, can be used under a prescription from an attending veterinarian. Any racehorse that is administered the drug is required to test negative prior to returning to training. The drug became one of the most notorious in racing when it began to be abused late in the 1990s and throughout the early 2000s because it can build muscle when used regularly on a horse.

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