Provisional suspension lifted for McLean Robertson after split-sample test is negative
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McLean Robertson, a trainer based in the Midwest, has had a provisional suspension lifted after a split sample for a gelding he trained tested negative for altrenogest, an estrogen suppressant that is banned for use in male horses under rules that went into effect in May.
Robertson, who was suspended in early July, said Monday that he was relieved that the suspension was lifted, but he had harsh criticism for the Horseracing Welfare and Integrity Unit, which took over drug-testing and enforcement in most U.S. racing jurisdictions on May 22. Under HIWU’s rules, any trainer whose horse tests positive for a banned substance receives an automatic suspension, even prior to a split sample confirming the presence of the drug.
Robertson was facing a ban of as many as two years under HIWU’s banned-substances policy.
“It’s like a third-world country,” Robertson said. “I don’t know what it all means, but I know it means you don’t have due process. They tell you you have a bad test, they judge you, and you don’t even have any rights to due process until the split comes back.”
Alexa Ravit, a spokeswoman for HIWU, declined to comment specifically on the Robertson case but provided a statement from HIWU about the lifting of the suspension. The first sample was tested at Industrial Laboratories in Colorado, while the split sample was tested at the Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory, Ravit said. All HIWU labs must be accredited.
“HIWU continues to improve laboratory harmonization efforts through the implementation of the [Anti-Doping Medication and Control] Program and has quality assurance procedures in place to check for inconsistencies between laboratories,” the statement read. The statement also defended provisional suspensions, which have become one of the most controversial aspects of HIWU’s enforcement policies, by saying that they “are utilized in most international horse racing jurisdictions, as well as in Olympic sports.”
Lisa Lazarus, chief executive of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which devised the rules being enforced by HIWU, has publicly defended the use of provisional suspensions, saying that the policy protects other participants from competing against trainers who may not be playing by the rules.
Prior to HIWU’s implementation, trainers were not suspended until a split sample confirmed a positive and until after a trainer had a hearing with stewards. However, if the split came back positive and a trainer was issued a suspension, the penalty was almost invariably stayed while the trainer appealed the case, dragging cases out for months and, in many high-profile cases, years. HIWU has said that its protocols will lead to much quicker resolutions of cases.
Robertson said that he had administered Regu-Mate, an altrenogest product, to three fillies under his care over the past several months, and that he had a bottle of the product in his barn at Canterbury Park when it was searched by HIWU personnel following the positive test. It is legal to administer altrenogest to fillies or mares under the HIWU rules, and its use is common in many barns. The product is administered orally, usually by a trainer’s stable staff.
However, Robertson said that the horse who tested positive, Johnny Up, was never administered the substance, and that he has never administered altrenogest to a male horse or gelding.
“I’m not a cheater,” said Robertson, who is a member of Canterbury Park’s Hall of Fame. “Obviously, you question your help, but these are people I’ve worked with forever.”
As a result of the suspension, Robertson transferred his horses to Nathaniel Quinonez, a former employee. Up until the date of Robertson’s suspension, Quinonez had started 49 horses since 2016. After receiving Robertson’s horses, he won eight races from 26 starts.
Robertson is in the process of re-establishing his barn at Canterbury. Last year, he won 71 races from 415 starts, with earnings of $2.4 million. His horses have earned more than $2 million in purses every year since 2011.
“I guess all I can say is that at least they did get it right in the end,” he said.
Two other trainers, Natalia Lynch and Mary Pirone, have been provisionally suspended for altrenogest positives, with both of those suspensions handed down in the past week. Positives for altrenogest were extremely rare in the decades prior to HIWU taking over drug testing, but it is unclear whether racing commissions ever made testing for altrenogest a priority in years past. Some trainers have privately acknowledged that they had previously administered altrenogest to male horses under the belief that it can calm intact males or build muscle in geldings.
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