6 New Jersey race horses test positive for doping

New Jersey Racing Commission Executive Director Frank Zanzuccki said laboratory tests confirmed that the six horses under the care of trainer Ernest Adam and owned by Stephen C. Slender had tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug Erythropoietin-Human, also known as EPO.

The six horses have been declared ineligible to compete in New Jersey, consistent with the rules of the Racing Commission's new "out-of-competition" testing initiative.

Launched late last year, the new program allows the commission to test horses for illegal substances not only at racetracks but also at horse farms, and at any time. Previously, the commission was only authorized to conduct testing of horses on race day, and only at New Jersey's four racetracks.

Slender, of Del Mar, Calif., did not immediately return either a telephone call or an e-mail left by The Associated Press seeking comment.

The state racing commission did not have a telephone number for Adam of Clarksburg. He is not listed in telephone directory assistance.

Acting on a tip, Zanzuccki said racing commission officials tested the horses at Winner's International Farm in Chesterfield in Burlington County last month, and New Jersey State Police on Tuesday searched the farm where the six horses were being kept.

Adam, who has 46 wins in 208 starts this year, stables his horses at Winner's International Farm.

Slender, a California veterinarian, races his horses under the moniker Summersby Stable. He has 10 wins in 57 starts at the Meadowlands this year, No. 2 in the owners' standings, track spokeswoman Amy Silver said.

Based on lab results and other information obtained during the investigation, the commission will conduct a hearing to determine whether Adam and Slender have violated commission rules. Pending the outcome of their respective hearings, both men remain eligible to participate in New Jersey racing.