Black Labrador Sniffs Out Racing Clues in New Jersey

New Jersey attorney general Gurbir Grewal and the New Jersey Racing Commission have deployed a new asset in the effort to prevent cheating in the horse racing industry—a specially trained scent-sniffing dog named Shadow.

A 2-year-old black Labrador, Shadow is New Jersey's K-9 horse racing investigator and is already proving to be a valuable tool in deterring licensees who might seek a competitive or wagering advantage by drugging racehorses.

The NJRC has put Shadow on regular patrol at New Jersey racetracks. This year, Shadow made his first find, detecting the presence of a prohibited substance.

"A big part of the job for any regulatory and enforcement agency is to stay one step ahead of those who would seek to profit by breaking our laws and rules," Grewal said. "Shadow is an incredible asset in that respect, because cheaters in horse racing can't cheat without using prohibited substances, and he is specifically trained to sniff them out. Shadow is helping not only to protect horses but to preserve the integrity of the horse racing industry throughout our state."

NJRC executive director Judith Nason credits Shadow with having "vastly increased the racing commission's investigatory ability" and with helping to send a strong cautionary message to would-be horse dopers.

"One very important purpose of Shadow is to deter trainers or owners from even the thought of giving a prohibited substance to a horse," Nason said. "We believe Shadow will prove to be an efficient, cost-effective tool in catching and penalizing licensees who cheat."

This year, Grewal challenged the leadership of every division and commission within the Department of Law and Public Safety to look for ways to better serve the public by identifying new ways to collaborate with each other. As part of that process, the NJRC identified the need for adding a dog that could detect the presence of substances unique to horse racing that cannot lawfully be possessed by anyone but a licensed veterinarian.

The New Jersey State Police partnered with the NJRC in this effort and found Shadow through its Canine Academy. With investigator Joseph Sczerbowicz manning the leash, Shadow now spends Monday through Thursday patrolling racetracks and licensed farms to ferret out banned chemicals that might be concealed in stalls or barns—sometimes in places where a routine inspection might not uncover them. On race days, Shadow is deployed at New Jersey's Thoroughbred and Standardbred racetracks.

For investigative reasons, Nason will not disclose details concerning what substances Shadow is able to detect. However, she confirmed that he is trained to find a host of banned chemicals, as well as related paraphernalia such as syringes and hypodermic needles.

Shadow is not the first dog involved in horse racing investigations. In another example, a Belgian Malinois named Chini was deployed by Ruidoso Downs, beginning drug-sniffing duties in 2018.