Glatt Runner Tests Positive for Metformin, Gabapentin

[Wandering Eyes]

The Mark Glatt runner Vanzzy (Verrazano) tested positive for Metformin and Gabapentin after finishing second in a Dec. 6, 2024 $16,000 claiming race at Los Alamitos, according to a ruling posted on the Horse Racing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) website.

Glatt has denied any wrongdoing, but his lawyer, Drew Mollica, said that an internal investigation had identified a barn employee who is taking both medications.

“We have not yet been served the charges, but this is another classic case of Metformin in the environment triggering a positive for alleged picograms of a substance in a horse,” said Mollica, when asked about the case. “One—Mark Glatt denies any wrongdoing, and is willing to litigate this in the unlikely event that we cannot come to a resolution with HIWU,” he said. “Two—our internal investigation has identified a potential source. And three—the entire industry knows that this is environmental contamination, at the same time, the testing procedure in this matter was so fatally flawed that there should be no charges at all.”

The potential consequences of a positive test for the banned substances include a two-year suspension, an 18-month suspension and a 75-day suspension, and a fine of up to $25,000, but several cases have been resolved with no sanctions to the trainer due to the potential for contamination.

“Metformin is one of the most prescribed medications in America,” said Mollica, “and the alleged source in this case was also prescribed Gabapentin. It is not atypical for Metformin recipients to also be prescribed Gabapentin; in fact, they are prescribed jointly on a regular basis. This is another example of the realities of life crossing into the microscopic testing of horse racing.”

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