PETA wants life ban for jockey after racehorse tests positive for meth in Ohio. The 8-year-old Bay Gelding, Gardy’s Legacy, submitted to a blood test came back positive for D-methamphetamine following a race at MGM Northfield Park. The result led to Gardy’s Legacy being disqualified, while the trainer, Samuel Schillaci, was suspended for one year, forced to return the $4,500 in winnings and pay a $1,000 fine.

However, PETA believes this punishment is not enough. In a letter to the Ohio State Racing Commission, PETA called for a lifetime ban for Schillaci, stating that the fine and suspension were not enough for such a serious violation. PETA’s senior vice president of Equine Matters, Kathy Guillermo, emphasized that administering meth endangers a horse’s life and that trainers who do so will do the same to other animals. PETA urged the commission to permanently bar Schillaci from competing in Ohio, creating a safer environment for all participants by upholding the highest standards of ethics and safety.

Doping in horse racing, a long-standing problem, has been addressed through measures such as saliva tests implemented in 1912 and the passage of the Horseracing Safety and Integrity Act in 2020. This act standardized medication and safety rules for American horseracing and put the United States Anti-Doping Agency in charge of all testing and medication violations.