WEG Appeal Dismissed In Ontario Court

Published: January 15, 2009 05:19 pm EST

Multiple sources have told Trot Insider that on Wednesday, January 14 the Ontario Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal by the Woodbine Entertainment Group

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WEG was appealing an Ontario Racing Commission ruling in regard to horses conditioned by trainer Bill Elliott and owned by Bob Hamather, Lloyd Nicholson, Gary Smith and Geoffrey Mount.

On April 14, 2008, the ORC announced that test results confirmed the presence of EPO in Michelles Power, one of 29 horses that Elliott was training. According to ORC rules, all horses in Elliott's barn were subsequently declared ineligible to race until transferred to the care of another licensed trainer approved by the ORC.

According to files form the ORC, the horses were transferred with approval of the ORC and were eligible to race. The problem arose when, notwithstanding ORC eligibility, WEG refused to accept those horses at WEG tracks (Woodbine and Mohawk Racetracks).

On May 15, 2008, an ORC panel ruled that WEG is prohibited from rejecting eligible horses.

The May 15, 2008 ruling was the item which WEG appealed Wednesday, January 14 to the Ontario Court of Appeals. As previously mentioned, the appeal was dismissed.

(With files from the ORC)

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