Jason Servis, Jorge Navarro Face Federal Indictment in Doping Scheme

[Wandering Eyes]

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. ET to discuss indictments brought against Thoroughbred veterinarians and trainers, including Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro.

According to the indictment posted at the U.S. Attorney’s Office website, the indicated are alleged to have engaged in a “widespread, corrupt scheme by racehorse trainers, veterinarians, PED distributors and others to manufacture, distribute, and receive adulterated and misbranded PEDs and to secretly administer those PEDs to racehorses under scheme participants’ control.” The full indictment can be read here.

Navarro is alleged to have “orchestrated a widespread scheme of covertly obtaining and adminstering various adulterated and misbranded PEDs to the racehorses under his control. [Navarro] and his co-conspirators concealed the purchase and administration of adulterated and misbranded PEDs from federal and state government agencies, racing officials, the betting public and others.

A subsection of the indictment is devoted to the Navarro-trained X Y Jet (Kantharos), who died from an apparent heart attack this past January. The indictment sets out that Navarro treated X Y Jet with PEDs prior to a Gulfstream allowance victory in January 2019 and also prior to his victory in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen two months later. While in Dubai on Mar. 22, 2019, Navarro-according to the indictment-“personally administered various adulterated and misbranded PEDs to X Y Jet, including one referred to as ‘monkey.’ The indictment says that co-defendant Seth Fishman texted his congratulations in the days following the Golden Shaheen to which Navarro allegedly replied: “Thank u boss, u are a big part of it.”

In laying out specific overt acts undertaken by Navarro, the indictment says that co-defendant Christopher Oakes offered to Navarro in January 2019 a PED created by Oakes and designed to avoid PED testing. “Zero chance you get caught,” Oakes stated and agreed to deliver the substance to Navarro. The indictment includes photographs of the substances allegedly used procured and used by Navarro.

The details of a phone conversation between Navarro and “operators of a racing stable in California, for whom Navarro is a trainer” were also released. Discussing the horse Nanoosh, one of the operators on the call was quoted as questioning whether Navarro was “giving them [the operator’s horses] all the s–t” asking later, “Is this horse jacked out? Is he on f—ing pills or are we just f—king-.” Navarro is alleged to have replied “Everything. He gets everything.” Individual 1 cuts short the discussion, saying, “You don’t have to tell me on the phone,” according to the indictment. In his most recent start, the registered owners of Nanoosh were Rockingham Ranch, Zayat Stables LLC and David L. Bernsen.

Servis is alleged to have made use of a specific performance-enhancing drug called SGF-1000 and is alleged to have given that drug “to virtually all of the racehorses under his control.” He is also accused of falsifying veterinary bills to conceal the administration of SGF-1000 and using fake prescriptions. According to the indictment, SGF-1000 is a customized PED purportedly containing ‘growth factors,’ including fibroblast growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor, which are intended to promote tissue repair and increase a racehorse’s stamina and endurance beyond its natural capability.

This is a breaking story that will be updated as details are sorted out.

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