HIWU Drops Clenbuterol Allegation Against Englehart

Trainer Jeffrey Englehart will not face sanctions after the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit determined he was not responsible for a positive clenbuterol finding from a November 2023 test of one of his horses.

HIWU on Feb. 23 updated the status of Englehart's case from "pending" to "resolved" on its website and noted that a B sample of the hair sample collected from the horse, an unnamed 2-year-old son of Classic Empire —Fast Heart, by Lion Heart, indicated that clenbuterol was administered to the horse before Englehart became his trainer. The hair sample was collected after the horse suffered a catastrophic breakdown while training Nov. 21 at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack.

As clenbuterol is a banned substance under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's classification, Englehart was facing significant penalties, including a long suspension. The bronchodilator is of special concern because of its muscle-building potential if abused.

HIWU issued a statement on the case Friday.

"Following a positive test result for clenbuterol in hair collected from Fast Heart 2021 (the unnamed colt), trainer Jeffrey Englehart requested B sample analysis and provided a formal explanation to HIWU that he believed that clenbuterol was administered to the horse prior to his becoming the horse's responsible person. The right to request B sample analysis and submit an explanation for an alleged violation are available to all covered persons subject to a potential violation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program.

"Segmented analysis was performed on the B sample of the hair by the Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of California, Davis. The results of this analysis indicated that clenbuterol was administered to Fast Heart 2021 before he became a covered horse and before Mr. Englehart became his trainer. Thus, Mr. Englehart's explanation was confirmed, and HIWU withdrew the Equine Anti-Doping Notice that had been served on him. The case was dropped before a provisional suspension was imposed on Mr. Englehart or a charge letter was served on him."

Daily Racing Form reported earlier this month, and reports from the New York State Gaming Commission back up that reporting, that the colt suffered a catastrophic breakdown while training Nov. 21 at Finger Lakes. The New York regulatory records report the colt suffered a condylar fracture in his right front leg.

HIWU said because the segmented analysis determined that "Fast Heart 2021" was administered clenbuterol before he was a covered horse, HIWU does not have the jurisdiction to pursue a further investigation in this circumstance.

Englehart, who has saddled horses to recent starts in New York and Ohio, ranked 45th in seasonal wins in 2022. Since 2013 his horses have won 430 races from 2,407 starts and earned more than $8.9 million in purses.