JCSA Continues 2020 Saudi Cup Investigation

The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia announced Dec. 12 that the organization is aware of recent developments in the U.S. regarding trainer Jason Servis and that its investigation into the 2020 Saudi Cup (G1) is ongoing. "Over the coming weeks we will assess our ability to conclude this investigation (that) began in March 2020, in a robust and comprehensive fashion," the statement read. The update comes after trainer Jason Servis pled guilty to adulterating and misbranding drugs with intention to administer them to racehorses he trained in a New York courtroom Dec. 9. Servis won the Feb. 2020 inaugural Saudi Cup with Maximum Security. Nine days later, he was arrested on federal charges related to doping horses. During court proceedings, the trainer's attorney (speaking for Servis) admitted Maximum Security had been given SGF-1000 (compound chemical) by a veterinarian for his barn. Not long after Servis was arrested, Saudi Cup officials announced that the winning $10 million purse for the $20 million race would be withheld pending an investigation and that prize money would be awarded to the second-10th place finishers. In an August 2020 release, the JCSA said it would have to wait until the evidence in Servis's case was made public in order to move forward with the investigation. Prior to the race, the JCSA says it had not received any allegations or indications that Maximum Security had ever been administered performance-enhancing drugs.