Trainer Jonathan Wong Suspended For Banned Medication Usage

[Wandering Eyes]

The Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit has provisionally suspended trainer Jonathan Wong after one of his horses tested positive for a banned substance last month.

Heaven and Earth (Gormley) broke her maiden at Indiana Grand June 1 but subsequently tested positive for the prescription drug metformin, a type 2 diabetes treatment.

“I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and have been on metformin since last year,” Wong told the Paulick Report. “It was prescribed by my doctor. I told them [HIWU], but it doesn't matter,” he added. “They don't care, and that's the problem.”

While metformin is a permitted medication by the U. S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for humans in athletic competition, the National Institutes of Health published a study indicating it has an effect on athletic performance. In a study of 10 men, they determined that “time to exhaustion was significantly higher after metformin than placebo ingestion,” and that “metformin improved performance and anaerobic alactic contribution during high-intensity exercise.”

Wong was notified that his horses will need to be moved to the care of another trainer and potentially faces up to a two-year suspension and a $25,000 fine.

This story will be updated.

The post Trainer Jonathan Wong Suspended For Banned Medication Usage appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article