Harness: Indiana suspends trainer for 10 years

The Indiana Horse Racing Commission has suspended a Standardbred trainer for 10 years after a horse he trained tested positive for a powerful synthetic blood-doping agent, darbepoeitin.

Bradley Moffitt, the trainer, accepted the suspension as a result of an agreement with the commission, the IHRC said in a release. The horse tested positive for the drug after a race at Hoosier Park on May 31, 2014, according to the commission.

Moffitt had a record of one win from 11 starts in 2014, according to harness records. His suspension will run from March 18 of this year through the same date in 2025.

Darbepoetin is a synthetic form of erythropoietin, which plays a role in the formation of oxygen-carrying red-blood cells. While it is unknown what effect the drug has on horses, blood-doping drugs such as darbepoeitin have been heavily abused in human sports. Rumors have surrounded its abuse in both Standardbred racing and Thoroughbred racing for a decade, though few positives have been found.

“I believe the 10-year suspension to be an effective deterrent,” said Joe Gorajec, the executive director of the IHRC. “Hopefully, this will cause horsemen to think twice before racing a blood-doped horse at an Indiana track.”