Breeders' Cup has notified trainer Ron Ellis and the owners of Masochistic, Jay Em Ess Stable and Los Pollos Hermanos Racing, of action taken pursuant to its prohibited substance rule and convicted trainer rule. As a result of the issuance of a ruling by the Santa Anita Park board of stewards disqualifying Masochistic from a second-place finish in the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), and redistributing the purse based upon a positive test finding for the anabolic steroid stanozolol, the following actions have been taken.
With a first violation of the prohibited substance rule in a Breeders' Cup World Championships race, Ellis, and all horses directly or indirectly in his care will be ineligible to participate in the Breeders' Cup World Championships in 2017. Breeders' Cup rules prohibit the transfer of horses in Ellis' barn to any other person associated with Ellis for the purpose of competing in the Breeders' Cup.
Under the convicted trainer rule, Masochistic will be ineligible to compete in the 2017 Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Ellis declined to comment on the ban.
BALAN: Masochistic Officially Disqualified from BC Sprint
"Today's actions affirm our determination to conduct the Breeders' Cup under the highest standards of integrity and in a fair competitive environment for all participants," said Breeders' Cup president and chief executive officer Craig Fravel. "Looking forward, we will be modifying our rules and protocols for out-of-competition testing to ensure that no horse testing positive for any anabolic steroid while in training or competition will be permitted to race in the Breeders' Cup.
"There is no place for the administration of steroids to horses in training and racing, and we will be working closely with regulatory authorities to give the full effect to that principle in the Breeders' Cup."
The applicable Breeders' Cup rules can be found on the Breeders' Cup members website on pages 82-83 of the 2016 Breeders' Cup Horsemen's Information Guide.
"The Jockey Club applauds Breeders' Cup Ltd. for its strong stance against anabolic steroids in Thoroughbred racing and training and fully supports measures that will help eliminate steroids from our sport," said James Gagliano, president and chief operating officer of The Jockey Club. "Until that happens, we ask that regulators in all 38 racing jurisdictions adopt the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium's model rule for out-of-competition testing. The rule mandates that horses treated with any anabolic steroid spend at least six months on a vet's list, therefore making them ineligible to race.
"We also hope that more racing jurisdictions make use of The Jockey Club's graded stakes out-of-competition testing grant fund, which has been available since 2014 but has been severely underutilized.
"In addition, The Jockey Club, through the Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity, will continue to advocate for federal legislation that will lead to the adoption of a national, uniform standard for drugs and medication in American Thoroughbred racing."