Trainer Robert Gerl suspended 20 years

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Robert Gerl of Palgrave, Ontario, has been suspended 20 years and fined $100,000 by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario for multiple medication violations.

According to a press release put out by the AGCO, the suspensions involve the horses Arafat and Komunist. Both tested positive after racing last October at Woodbine for Ostarine, a non-therapeutic substance that produces rapid muscle growth. Additionally, out-of-competition testing yielded a positive test for Ostatine on one of them. Both were declared unplaced and the purse money they earned must be returned.

The suspension began on Monday. Gerl had not run a horse at Woodbine or anywhere else in North America this year.

Gerl had 65 wins from 1,128 starts as a trainer.