Ray Handal banned amid Zeranol usage allegations

[Al Gobbi]

Handal provisionally suspended by Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit

New York-based trainer Ray Handal has been issued a provisional suspension by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit for the presence of a banned substance found in one of his horses who raced at Belmont Park on May 28.

The suspension, which under HIWU rules for banned substances could be for two years and carries up to a $25,000 fine.

https://www.drf.com/news/handal-prov...d-welfare-unit

[SG4]

So with these provisional suspensions, is someone like Handal just stuck on the sidelines indefinitely until his time in court? If his case is adjudicated saying there's no evidence of intentional use & it was likely contamination, does he have any recourse to make up for lost earnings? Seems like a middle-ground should be suggested from the old ways & these new ones if trainers are going to get popped this severely before having a chance to defend themselves, especially ones with clean records.

[BIG49010]

I wish the media or HISA would put some guidelines together on these statements that can ruin a trainer's reputation. Did the horse have a 10,000 pico grams or 10 pico grams of the substance, if it's 10 then they really need to rethink some of these in my opinion.

[Inner Dirt]

I think you have to give someone with a clean record the benefit of the doubt. Allow him to conduct business as usual until a final decision is made.

[PalaceOfFortLarned]

Originally Posted by Inner Dirt

I think you have to give someone with a clean record the benefit of the doubt. Allow him to conduct business as usual until a final decision is made.

If Ray Handal is cheating, it is time to quit this game.

[Robert Fischer]

the stuff that improves the performances are undetectable


so Zeranol and any detectable substances or whatever wouldn't be given to horses unless there was a long enough layoff.

Handal is a class act. This seems likely a case of feed contamination.

[Spalding No!]

Originally Posted by Robert Fischer

the stuff that improves the performances are undetectable

so Zeranol and any detectable substances or whatever wouldn't be given to horses unless there was a long enough layoff.

Handal is a class act. This seems likely a case of feed contamination.

I don't think you can just dismiss this case as contamination based on that hypothetical. In fact, your hypothetical might explain how the horse tested positive for zeranol.

Firstly, remember that zeranol is a "banned" substance--as opposed to controlled--meaning that it cannot be possessed, administered, or present in a horse AT ANY TIME.

Secondly, zeranol is an anabolic drug & so can improve performance by promoting growth.

Thirdly, there is a test for zeranol.

So in what instance would someone knowingly administer a banned (& detectable) substance to a horse? As you said...if there was a long enough layoff period...and I would add, if there was a low probability of being tested during that time (e.g., sending the horse to a farm).

Sure enough, when the horse Barrage tested positive for zeranol on 5/28/23, it was the horse's first start in 4 months. Furthermore--and quite importantly--Handal wasn't the trainer of the horse when it last raced (in Florida).

If Handal wasn't in control of Barrage for the previous 3 months before he started working the horse in NY, he ought to make that known. In fact, it's a bit curious that he hasn't done so already (at least not in the press).

In addition, Handal was notified of TWO medication violations (one banned substance, one controlled), presumably from the same horse, but it was not clear from the article if that is correct.

[castaway01]

This is not a comment on this specific case, but it's endlessly fascinating how people complain constantly about drugs in horse racing and how we need stiff penalties for anyone caught, but the minute someone gets caught we hear, "Well not THAT guy" and "The dosage limits have to change".

Either the rules have meaning, or they have no meaning.

[Cholly]

Originally Posted by castaway01

This is not a comment on this specific case, but it's endlessly fascinating how people complain constantly about drugs in horse racing and how we need stiff penalties for anyone caught, but the minute someone gets caught we hear, "Well not THAT guy" and "The dosage limits have to change".

Either the rules have meaning, or they have no meaning.

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

I don't think you can just dismiss this case as contamination based on that hypothetical. In fact, your hypothetical might explain how the horse tested positive for zeranol.

Firstly, remember that zeranol is a "banned" substance--as opposed to controlled--meaning that it cannot be possessed, administered, or present in a horse AT ANY TIME.

Secondly, zeranol is an anabolic drug & so can improve performance by promoting growth.

Thirdly, there is a test for zeranol.

So in what instance would someone knowingly administer a banned (& detectable) substance to a horse? As you said...if there was a long enough layoff period...and I would add, if there was a low probability of being tested during that time (e.g., sending the horse to a farm).

Sure enough, when the horse Barrage tested positive for zeranol on 5/28/23, it was the horse's first start in 4 months. Furthermore--and quite importantly--Handal wasn't the trainer of the horse when it last raced (in Florida).

If Handal wasn't in control of Barrage for the previous 3 months before he started working the horse in NY, he ought to make that known. In fact, it's a bit curious that he hasn't done so already (at least not in the press).

In addition, Handal was notified of TWO medication violations (one banned substance, one controlled), presumably from the same horse, but it was not clear from the article if that is correct.

The Palmers are good people, and good owners. A few horseplayer nerds start looking at performance and ROI following >30day layoffs for owners, and I think this all becomes very silly.

The trainers and owners and horses who have these program 'spacing' between races a problem in the game. I'm not saying that these programs all exploit drug clearance loopholes.
Then there is a reality that some horses simply do need time in between races.

However, the huge elephant in the room is the undetectables.
Undetectables has nothing specifically to do with this contamination per se.

It is taboo, if not practically 'banned' by common sense, and job security for anyone employed and with a voice in the industry that they not mention or stress the undetectables and the biomarkers.

Then you have all the things that happen with blackmarket market positons. Good market positions(dealing) get taken over by professionals..., then you have good/big clients..., rivals of good clients, wagering syndicate clients, other stuff, etc...

[$w1fT]

Originally Posted by Robert Fischer

the stuff that improves the performances are undetectable


so Zeranol and any detectable substances or whatever wouldn't be given to horses unless there was a long enough layoff.

Handal is a class act. This seems likely a case of feed contamination.

Lots of that going around these days…

[PaceAdvantage]

So looking up this compound, it is a synthetic non-steroidal estrogen.

But if it's synthetic, how does it easily contaminate feed?

The only thing I could find to explain that would be this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeranol

Zeranol may be found as a contaminant in fungus-infected crops.

But again, how?

[IamNewt]

I have my own cheater meter. Once you pass the magical 15% win average as a trainer, you're on my list as a suspect. I am never surprised when one of those get caught later.

[atlasaxis]

https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-rac...lifted-by-hiwu

[the little guy]

Originally Posted by IamNewt

I have my own cheater meter. Once you pass the magical 15% win average as a trainer, you're on my list as a suspect. I am never surprised when one of those get caught later.

So where do you stand on Charlie Appleby since you're gravitating towards international racing?