The Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory has confirmed the blood samples taken from horses trained by Jan Johnson, Bob McIntosh, Jim Arledge and Joe Seekman, who were scheduled to race those horses at The Red Mile earlier this Fall, tested negative for EPO and DPO.
Four horses conditioned by the aforementioned trainers tested positive for blood doping under The Red Mile’s out-of-competition testing policy. All four trainers denied that their horses could have tested positive for such substances.
The trainers’ attorney, Thomas Miller, requested that the trainers send split samples to the Pennsylvania lab for further testing, and they agreed to do so at their own expense ($1,500/test).
Each of the trainers has indicated they will not take any further action. They simply wanted to clear their names and restore their reputations.
In August 2006, the Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Lab, announced it had become the first lab to use a definitive test for EPO and DPO. Today the Pennsylvania test is still considered the gold standard in blood-doping testing.
(With files from harnessracing.com)