Maximum Security's Championship May Be at Risk

Multiple grade 1 winner and champion Maximum Security could produce another "first" for racing but in a manner not desired by any owner or trainer. The 4-year-old colt could become the first Eclipse Award-winning horse to be stripped of his championship title if the March 9 federal indictment against trainer Jason Servis for the covert obtaining and use of adulterated and mislabeled performance-enhancing drugs results in a conviction or the retesting of previous blood samples reveals previously undiscovered positives.

As of now, the Eclipse Awards rules do not include any procedure for removing a championship title from a horse or person, according to Keith Chamblin, chief operating officer for the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and a member of the Eclipse Award Steering Committee.

"This is unprecedented," said Chamblin. "We've never been confronted with a situation like this. We do not currently have a procedure in place for stripping a human or equine from a championship title. The appropriate place to start would be with a meeting of the Steering Committee representing the three voting organizations—Daily Racing Form, the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, and the NTRA.

Chamblin said he is not aware of any horse or human that lost a championship title on the racing side, "certainly not in the 21 years of NTRA's involvement with the event."

There have been two instances of Eclipse Awards being returned. Jesus Bracho, the leading apprentice jockey of 1992, agreed to surrender his Eclipse Award after Florida stewards found his falsified riding records. He gave up is Eclipse in exchange for riding privileges and two years later the Outstanding Apprentice Award was given to Rosemary Homeister Jr. Also the 1995 media Eclipse Award for magazine writing that went to Stephanie Diaz was rescinded after other writers raised concerns about factual errors and possible plagiarism.

Maximum Security made history last year when he became the first horse to be disqualified from winning the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) for interference. The horse was placed 17th.

After the Triple Crown series, Gary and Mary West's homebred son of New Year's Day went on to win TVG.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) and the Cigar Mile Handicap (G1), giving him three grade 1 victories for the year that included the Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1). His strong performances during the second half of the year sewed up champion 3-year-old colt honors and made him a finalist for Horse of the Year along with Mitole  and eventual winner Bricks and Mortar.

In January, a half interest in the colt was acquired by longtime partners and Coolmore associates Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor. Maximum Security made history again last month by winning the inaugural $20 million Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racetrack.

Now all of Maximum Security's performances are being called into question.

Servis and trainer Jorge Narravo were indicted March 9 by U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman with the Southern District of New York along with 17 other people for the obtainment, distribution, and use of adulterated and misbranded performance-enhancing drugs, in particular a substance called SGF-1000, which Servis stated in an intercepted phone call to Navarro: "I've been using it on everything almost."

The horses Servis medicated include Maximum Security, who had been given an injection of SGF-1000 around June 5, 2019, when he also was tested by New Jersey regulators, according to the indictment. In an intercepted phone call, Servis expressed concern to veterinarian Kristian Rhein that the horse would get a positive test result from the medication. Rhein, who helped promote and sell the drug for MediVet Equine, assured Servis, "There's no test for it in America." Rhein did tell Servis that SGF-1000 might produce a false positive for the corticosteroid dexamethasone.

The same day Servis talked with Rhein, he reportedly talked to another vet who agreed to falsify Maximum Security's records to show he'd been given dexamethasone, according to the indictment.