Wong Provisionally Suspended by the HIWU for Metformin

Trainer Jonathan Wong has been provisionally suspended by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit, the enforcement arm of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, after his filly Heaven and Earth  tested positive for the banned substance of metformin. The positive test occurred following the Gormley   filly's June 1 maiden special weight victory at Horseshoe Indianapolis. The Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit posted the test on its website July 2.

Wong was cited for an alleged violation of rule 3212—presence of a banned substance and/or its metabolites or markers. The penalties for such a violation include a two-year suspension and a $25,000 fine.

Metformin is used to treat insulin resistance associated with equine metabolic syndrome in horses. According to Medline Plus, metformin is used to treat type 2 diabetes by decreasing the amount of glucose absorbed from food and the amount of glucose made by the liver. The Federal Drug Administration (U.S. Food & Drug Association) has approved metformin use in humans but it is not officially approved for use in animals. 

Grade 1-winning trainer Wesley Ward was also recently found with a positive test for metformin by the New Jersey Racing Commission after trainee Insanity It Seems  won July 15, 2022 at Monmouth Park. Ward was issued a 15-day suspension and fined $2,000 while Insanity It Seems was disqualified and the purse was redistributed. He was suspended for 15 days for the same drug by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission in 2021.

Wong, a multiple graded stakes-winning trainer, has saddled the winners of 1,194 winners for purse earnings of $23,031,024. Since he is provisionally suspended by the HIWU, Wong's horses will need to be transferred to other trainers. His horses currently entered at Pleasanton, Los Alamitos Race Course, Presque Isle Downs, and Belterra Park will likely be scratched.