West retains Bramlage to conduct thorough exam on Maximum Security, other horses

Gary West, the owner of last year’s 3-year-old champion Maximum Security, has retained the renowned equine health expert Dr. Larry Bramlage to run “hoof to tail” examinations of the horse and organize the completion of tests on his urine, blood, and hair in the wake of the indictment of the colt’s trainer on charges related to the administration of illegal substances.

West, in a statement, said that Dr. Bramlage, an orthopedic surgeon whose expertise stretches beyond bone health, will have the freedom to consult with other experts in the course of his review. West said that he has also instructed Bramlage to make his report on the colt available to the public and any governmental agencies that request it.

“I have placed no restrictions or limitations of any kind on how, why, or what in his judgment is necessary to exhaustively examine Maximum Security from hoof to tail,” West said in the statement. “He is to leave no stone unturned.”

Maximum Security was alleged to have been administered a specific substance known as SGF-1000 in the indictment of his trainer and 26 others alleged to have taken part in schemes to manufacture, distribute, and administer illegal substances to racehorses. The colt’s trainer, Jason Servis, was intercepted in a phone call specifically saying that Maximum Security had been administered the substance approximately two weeks prior to a race in New Jersey in June of last year in which he finished second.

Publicly available formulations of SGF-1000 have been tested in the past by regulatory officials both in the U.S. and abroad and found to have no illegal substances in it, but regulators caution that the substance given to the horses in the indictment may have been altered or laced with other substances in order to achieve a performance-enhancing effect. It is also possible that SGF-1000 interacts with other substances to achieve a performance-enhancing effect.

Maximum Security won the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 26. The indictments were unsealed on March 9, shortly after law-enforcement officials conducted coast-to-coast searches of the barns and many of the manufacturing and distribution facilities referenced in the indictment.

West said in the statement that Saudi racing officials collected hair, urine, and blood samples from Maximum Security both prior to and after the Saudi Cup. He said that he will ask the French testing laboratory that received the sample to test specifically for SGF-1000. In older formulations already tested, the main ingredient was sheep collagen, according to regulatory officials, although the marketers of the substance claim it contains several biological growth factors.

West also said in the statement that he will ask any regulatory bodies that have samples of Maximum Security’s blood and urine to re-test those samples. In addition, he said he has asked Dr. Bramlage to “coordinate with my racing manager to immediately commence and complete the collection of urine, hair, and blood samples from all of my horses previously trained by Jason Servis” for further testing.

Late last year, the international racing and breeding operation Coolmore purchased a racing and breeding interest in Maximum Security. Testing the horse could negatively or positively impact the value of the horse at stud, depending on the results.

West said in his statement that he has also ordered Bramlage to conduct “an ultrasound and [electrocardiogram] of his heart, a complete nuclear scintigraphy [bone scan] of his spine, head to tail, and all four limbs from the ground up,” as well as digital radiographs of all his limbs, ultrasounds of his chest and lungs, a complete soundness exam, and analyses of the horse’s blood, serum, and electrolyte profiles.