Schoenthal provisionally suspended after methamphetamine positives

Phil Schoenthal, a trainer based at Laurel Park in Maryland who races throughout the mid-Atlantic and Midwest, has been provisionally suspended by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit after two of his horses tested positive for methamphetamine, a banned substance that is in the process of being re-categorized under HIWU’s rules.

Schoenthal declined to comment on the details of the positives on Wednesday morning, but he said he was in the process of gathering information to defend himself.

“I’ve been advised not to talk about it,” Schoenthal said. “We’re going through the process right now. We’re trusting that it’s going to be a fair and equitable process.”

Positives for methamphetamine, a powerful stimulant that is commonly abused by humans, currently carry a two-year recommended suspension. However, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which drafts the rules enforced by HIWU, submitted new rules to the Federal Trade Commission late last year creating a new category for “drugs of human abuse,” including methamphetamine, which would change the rules of adjudication to allow violations to be thoroughly investigated for possible “human transfers” before suspensions are issued.

The rules have not yet been posted for public comment, meaning that they are at least several months away from approval.

:: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.

Alexa Ravit, a HIWU spokeswoman, said that provisional suspensions for the drugs in the new category were not being issued until the positives were confirmed in split-sample tests. The provisional suspensions for the drugs in the category will be stayed after 60 days, Ravit said, which is the recommended maximum penalty under the new rules for drugs of human abuse, until the new rules are enacted.

Substances of human abuse are tricky to regulate in horse racing because the drugs typically have a high potential to impact the performance of a horse, requiring strict penalties for intentional use. However, residue from human use of the substances can make their way into a horse’s system through a variety of means, either from a licensee directly or from contaminated tack, for example.

In addition to the two Schoenthal positives, seven trainers have been issued provisional suspensions for methamphetamine positives since last summer, according to HIWU records. Four of those trainers have had their suspensions stayed after reaching the 60-day limit.

Last year, HIWU suspended the Iowa trainer Dick Clark for 7 1/2 years for five methamphetamine positives. Clark, who had been training since 1976, accepted the penalty and retired, though he maintained that he did not administer the drug to any of his horses.

The two horses trained by Schoenthal that tested positive were Determined Driver and Prodigy Girl, according to HIWU. Both stabled at Laurel Park in Maryland.

Determined Driver, a 3-year-old filly who has a career record of three wins and two seconds in five starts, tested positive after winning an allowance race on Feb. 9 at Laurel Park. She went on to finish second in the Feb. 24 Wide Country Stakes at Laurel and then win the Beyond the Wire Stakes on March 23 at Laurel.

Prodigy Doll, a 6-year-old mare with a career record of five wins from 25 starts, tested positive after winning an allowance race on Jan. 28 at Laurel. Three weeks later, she finished third in the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie Stakes at Laurel.

Schoenthal has had two medication positives in his career, according to records available on the Thoroughbred Regulatory Rulings website. Both were for regulated medications, one in 2005 and the other in 2019.

Schoenthal has been training since 2003. He has a career record of 514 wins from 3,317 starts, for a win rate of 15 percent.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.