The owner of Midnight Bisou, the mare who finished second in last month’s $20 million Saudi Cup, said Wednesday “one would expect” Maximum Security to be disqualified from his victory in the wake of a horse drugging scheme that included the arrest of the winning trainer.
“One would expect that Maximum Security would be disqualified from all his races, including the Saudi Cup, due to the recent findings of the use of undetectable PEDs in his training and races,” Jeff Bloom of Oceanside said in a text message to the Union-Tribune. Bloom Racing Stable owns Midnight Bisou along with Madaket Stables and Allen Racing.
Trainer Jason Servis was among 27 people charged Monday by federal authorities. Prosecutors alleged “widespread, corrupt schedmes by racehorse trainers, veterinarians, PED distributors, and others to manufacture, distribute and receive unadulterated and misbranded PEDs and to secretly ister those PEDs to racehorses.”
Maximum Security is owned by Gary and Mary West of Rancho Santa Fe. On Tuesday, Gary West said all the couple’s horses under Servis’ care would be transferred to other trainers. Maximum Security, who was disqualified from victory in last year’s Kentucky Derby because of interference, will go to Bob Baffert.
“We are of course deeply concerned and frustrated of the apparent cheating and blatant disregard for the equine athletes that has been pervasive for all the accused in the recent Federal indictments,” Bloom said in his text. “We could not be more proud of our mare and her accomplishments, in particular her breathtaking performance in the Saudi Cup where she handily beat twelve of the best horses in the world.
The winner’s share of the Saudi Cup purse was $10 million. Second place was worth $3.5 million. Midnight Bisou has earned $7.25 million while winning 12 of her 20 career starts. She won the Eclipse Award last year as North America’s top older dirt female.
