Trainer Paul Valery given provisional suspension after positive tests for steroids

Paul Valery, a trainer based in South Florida with 11 wins in 55 starts over the past two years, has been issued a provisional suspension by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit after steroids were found in the post-race samples of two of his horses that raced at Gulfstream Park in March and April.

The two horses, Pure Speight and Quincy Cafe, tested positive for 4-hyrdoxytestosterone, a synthetic steroid, and formestane, a treatment for breast cancer that is not approved for use in the United States. Both drugs are banned in equine sports.

Anabolic steroids are used to build muscle mass, and they have been prohibited in U.S. racing for more than a decade. Positives for banned drugs carry a recommended suspension of two years under HIWU’s rules.

Pure Speight tested positive for the two drugs after winning a $6,250 claiming race on April 21. Quincy Cafe tested positive after winning an $8,000 claiming race on March 13.

Valery had seven wins from 28 starts last year, and he has four wins from 27 starts this year, for total earnings in the two years of $262,645. He also was credited for one win as a trainer in 2019 in Venezuela at La Rinconada with the horse The Brother Slew.

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