Drug tests on horses stopped

The court has stopped the Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom) and Philippine Racing Club, Inc. (PRCI), operator of the Sta. Ana Race Track, from undertaking further drug tests and imposing challenge fees and penalties pending hearing on protests of racehorse owners.

In a temporary restraining order issued Nov. 9, Judge Guillermo Purganan of Branch 42 of the Regional Trial Court of Manila ordered the Philracom and PRCI to stop implementing Philracom’s Amended Rules and Regulations on Horse Racing, particularly on drug testing, gathering of urine samples and referral of these samples to the UP Los Baños Institute of Chemistry, imposition of challenge fees and penalties such as fines, suspensions and revocations of licenses.

The petition was filed by race-horse owners Reynaldo "Myther" Bunag, Ma. Theresa P. Trinidad and Lambert C. Almeda Jr. who challenged the initial results of the UP Institute of Chemistry, which found their horses positive for prohibited drugs based on urine samples.

Tests on the same urine samples by the Hong Kong Jockey Club were negative.

According to the race horse owners, the HKJC results showed that the local urine tests did not meet internationally accepted standards and are arbitrary, whimsical and in violation of the implementing rules and regulations of Presidential Decree No. 420 creating the Philippine Racing Commission.

The race horse owners were represented by lawyers Andres Xavier Fornier and Felix Lodero, Jr. of the Fornier & Fornier Law Firm.