Pearce Suspended 1,950 Days for Clenbuterol Positives

Parx Racing-based trainer Penny Pearce, suspended 1,950 days and fined $23,500 by Pennsylvania stewards Aug. 29 after six out-of-competition tests detected clenbuterol in her horses, will appeal those sanctions, attorney Alan Pincus said Sept. 2. A stay of the suspension will also be requested, Pincus added.

The lengthy suspension is scheduled to begin Sept. 11 and would keep Pearce out of racing for approximately five years and four months through Jan. 12, 2028. 

Clenbuterol is a medication that can be used therapeutically to assist horses with respiratory difficulties but because it also has muscle development properties similar to anabolic steroids, many regulators and racetracks have banned or restricted its use.

In addition to the clenbuterol positives from samples taken June 22, a search of her tack room by investigators yielded "hypodermic needles, syringes, and injectable substances," according to the ruling.

On June 25, a few days after the search of her barn and testing that took place in Pennsylvania, Pearce was suspended 15 days and fined $500 by New Jersey stewards after one of her horses tested positive for clenbuterol after winning the first race May 29 at Monmouth Park.

The six Parx Racing horses that showed the presence of clenbuterol in their system were Call Me GQ, Market Maven , Mischievous Jones , Musamaha , Relativlea , and an unnamed horse.

Beyond noting Pearce's appeal and stay request, Pincus declined immediate comment on the Pennsylvania ruling.