Former Parx leading trainer Joseph Taylor receives eight-year suspension

Joseph Taylor, the runaway leader by wins at the 2019 meet at Parx racetrack outside of Philadelphia, has been suspended eight years by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit after two of his horses tested positive for two banned substances, according to HIWU records.

Taylor, who won 103 races from 467 starts at Parx in 2019, was issued the suspension by a HIWU arbitrator on appeal. The two horses tested positive for methylphenidate, the stimulant marketed as Ritalin, and clenbuterol, the bronchial dilator that can have muscle-building effects when abused, after races at Parx in June of 2023.

Cajun Cousin, a mare who is now 5 years old, tested positive for the two banned substances after finishing second in a claiming race at Parx on June 18. Two days later, Classy American, a gelding who is now 6 years old, tested positive for the same drugs after finishing second in a starter allowance race at Parx on June 20.

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After testing positive, both horses were shipped to West Virginia, which is outside of HISA’s jurisdiction due to an injunction that is not likely to be resolved for another year. They were both claimed in subsequent starts.

Under the ruling, both horses have been suspended from competition for 14 months from the date that each tested positive, so both horses are ineligible to compete until late August. Both horses made five starts in West Virginia after testing positive, but neither has run in the past six months.

Taylor, who began training full-time in 2017, had a breakout year in 2019, earning nearly $3.5 million in purses with a 21 percent winning percentage. His wins and winning percentage tailed off dramatically in the ensuing years, with 56 wins from 408 starts in 2020, 39 wins from 308 starts in 2021, 18 wins from 162 starts in 2022, and 12 wins from 85 starts in 2023.

Methylphenidate is the active ingredient in Ritalin, a stimulant that is prescribed to humans to treat attention deficit disorder. Clenbuterol is a notorious horse racing drug that has been implicated in various scandals in racing for all breeds, including the 2020 indictments that led to the sentencing of nearly two dozen individuals connected to racing in the Northeast.

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