George Weaver, the East Coast-based trainer, has been provisionally suspended by the Horseracing Integrity and Wagering Unit after a confirmation test was positive for metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes in humans, according to his attorney, but he plans to challenge the suspension on the grounds of accidental contamination. Drew Mollica, the attorney, said that he has provided HIWU “documentation” that the groom of the horse who tested positive, Anna’s Wish, was taking metformin at the time the sample was drawn from the filly, on March 16. Metformin, which lowers blood sugar levels, is one of the most frequently prescribed drugs in the U.S. It is a banned drug in equine performance sports. Weaver is facing a two-year suspension for the positive, though HIWU can apply mitigating circumstances to positives for banned tests. “This is crazy,” said Mollica. “The groom uses metformin. We provided all the documentation to them. The alleged penalty is so beyond the pale, so draconian. Metformin shouldn’t even be a banned substance, but it is.” Positives for metformin began cropping up in Thoroughbred racing immediately after HIWU took over drug-testing in most major racing jurisdictions in the late spring of last year. Including Weaver’s positive, HIWU has issued seven notifications to trainers for metformin positives. Two of the positives were thrown out last year, when HIWU said several of its testing laboratories were not using the proper limits of detection for the drug. In one case, Alex Lauer received a 75-day suspension after he provided evidence to HIWU that an employee could have been the source of the positive. In another, Jonathan Wong received a two-year suspension for a single metformin positive, after an arbitration hearing in which the hearing officer claimed Wong made “demonstrably false” and “untruthful” statements, including telling reporters that he was taking metformin. Mollica has requested a provisional hearing, which is typically scheduled within weeks of the start of the suspension. Weaver currently trains approximately 75 horses, Mollica said, and those horses will be unable to run or train unless transferred to other trainers. Mollica said that Weaver was not aware that the groom was taking metformin until he was notified of the positive in April. Lately, HIWU and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which issues the rules enforced by HIWU, have been urging trainers to communicate with their employees the risks of contamination and the need for employees to thoroughly wash their hands after taking any prescription medications. In mid-April, the trainer Phil Schoenthal received a 15-day suspension after two of his horses tested positive for methamphetamine, a banned drug that can also contaminate samples. Schoenthal provided documentation to HIWU showing that he had conducted seminars with his employees – two of whom tested positive for methamphetamines after the positives were announced – in the weeks prior to the horses testing positive. Prior to the advent of HIWU, metformin was regulated as a Class B drug. In the two years prior to HIWU taking over drug testing and enforcement, trainers Jimmy Baker and Wesley Ward each received 15-day suspensions for metformin positives in Kentucky. “George Weaver is not a cheater,” Mollica said. “It’s mind-boggling to me that they would want to end this man’s career for contamination.”  :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.