Winning Racehorse Tests Positive for Meth, So PETA Moves to Have the Trainer Punished

But after taking home the trophy, officials tested Gardy’s Legacy’s blood and found that the horse had been given methamphetamines before the race. The owner has since been punished, but animal activist group PETA believes the penalty wasn’t nearly enough. 

Although it is illegal, there have been several cases of trainers doping their horses with drugs in order to make them run faster. And while they hoped it wasn’t true, the Ohio State Racing Commission decided they needed to check. 

And what they found shocked not only those in the horse racing industry but people all over the world. 

Meth is not only an illegal and extremely dangerous drug for humans, but it’s also a Class 1 Category A offense in horse racing, according to the U.S. Trotting Association.

Of course, Gardy’s Legacy was disqualified and stripped of its first-place title. The $4,500 Schillaci received for winning was returned, and the trainer was forced to pay an additional $1,000 fine and was suspended from racing for one year. 

The organization, which fights for the rights of animals all over the world, is arguing that Schillaci’s small fine and one-year suspension was far from appropriate. They believe he needs a much harsher sentencing for what he did. 

She continued, “There should be no place in Ohio racing — which receives subsidies that could be going to the state — for someone who risks a horse’s life with meth.”

“Administering meth endangers a horse’s life, and trainers who treat a horse so callously will do the same to others too. The commission should consider not only the safety of Gardy’s Legacy but also that of all the other horses in Schillaci’s barn.”

When injected, meth produces an almost immediate and wildly intense high, which makes it extremely addicting. Meth is one of the most dangerous drugs on the planet as it’s not only highly addictive, but it also negatively affects organ systems and increases the risk of heart disease, liver damage, and stroke. Not to mention the fact that it can cause severe brain damage. 

Guillermo explained, “Those who demonstrate such cruelty even one time show a clear disregard for the regulations and shouldn’t be granted the privilege of competing in your state ever again.”

A spokesperson for the organization told Fox 8, “The judges gave the maximum penalty allowed by law. Statutorily, the maximum that a judge can issue is a $1,000 fine and a one-year suspension.”

And in this case, there are some who believe the trainer received the proper punishment and that PETA doesn’t need to get involved. But whichever side of the PETA and Ohio State Racing Commission debate one falls on, it’s almost impossible to argue that giving meth to a horse isn’t horrific and wildly unethical.