The Ron Burke Controversy: Doping Scandal & Consideration to Quit – Interview Insights

Thinking of quitting because of the doping hunt: “Each case must be treated individually”

Updated 09.24 | Published 09.22

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fullscreenRon Burke, America’s leading trotting trainer, is considering quitting: “This is going to make me leave the business.” Photo: Tr Bild / Tr Media

One of the world’s best trotting trainers, Ron Burke, 54, is considering quitting.

The reason: the intensified pursuit of doping in the United States.

– It’s not fun anymore, he says.

In 2009, Ron Burke took over his father, Michael “Mickey” Burke’s, racing business.

Since then he has been totally dominant in the USA and has been the trainer with the most victories and the most money earned for the stable – for 15 years.

He has taken over 1,000 victories – in one year – four times and the record for earnings for the stable in 365 days was set in 2014, just over 28.4 million dollars, or 308 million kroner, at today’s exchange rate. A record that was close to being broken last season when stable Burke brought in just over 27 million dollars.

Several doping convictions

The 54-year-old’s successful career has also been marred by scandalous headlines. He has on several occasions been accused, convicted and suspended for doping horses.

In February 2918, he was sentenced to a 30-day suspension and a $1,000 fine when the horse TJ Blast had excessive levels of bicarbonate in his body in a race at the Meadowlands track in New Jersey.

In 2019, Ron was again convicted of doping. Then the horse McBogitty tested positive for the drug gabapentin, a central nerve blocker used to treat epilepsy and peripheral neuropathic pain (long-term pain caused by nerve damage) in humans.

FBI led raid on cheaters

In the spring of 2020, a big scandal unfolded in the sport of trotting and galloping in the USA, where 29 people in the trotting were accused in a huge doping scandal. Several confessed to doping offenses and many were sentenced to fines and long prison terms. Galloping trainer Jorge Navarro received the strictest prison sentence of five years, while trotting trainer Chris Oakes, who trained the world record horse Homicide Hunter was sentenced to three years in prison and fined around SEK 600,000.

Leading US trainer Rob Burke was not on the list of those accused – but after the raid, led by the FBI, the US has appointed various agencies to clean up equestrian sport from doping.

Something that Burke now feels.

So much so that he in a big interview with Harnesslink opens up to stop with the trot – where he has been dominant for years.

– It’s not fun anymore, he says.

– This is what will make me leave the industry, he continues.

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full screen Ron Burke: “My name never came up during the investigation…” Photo: Tr Bild / Tr Media

“Not people we deal with”

Burke served a suspension in January but, at the time of the interview, is not suspended – however, two positive tests are being investigated and have been appealed.

Burke is frustrated as many of the tests with new modern technology sometimes show traces of drugs that are for humans, and which have no effect on horses, but are investigated in the same way as any doping.

Burke believes that, with 65,000 starts in 15 years, but more than anyone else ever, he is exposed to many risks in terms of contamination.

– I don’t know of another company that works under the crazy rules we do. How many people would we need to hire to ensure that every horse is watched 24/7 to make sure they don’t rub their noses or do anything they shouldn’t. It would bankrupt us. These are not people we are dealing with, they are animals.

Burke wants to see a clean sport. But not on the conditions that prevail on the other side of the Atlantic right now.

– My name never came up when Jeff (Gural, one of American trotting’s strongest men and an anti-doping advocate) had the investigation and when things happen. Don’t you think they checked my name and wanted the biggest coach? My name will not appear, because I do not treat my horses. My horses are well bred, they are extremely fit, I use the best drivers, have a superb team around me and put the horses where they are best suited and come out and try to win races. It really is that simple, he says.

Now the head coach wants to change some things and write in new rules.

– All we need are contamination levels that take into account traces and drugs that are not performance enhancing. Each case must be considered individually and treated with good judgment. It all comes back to the coach responsibility rule. It made sense in 1950, but it doesn’t make sense anymore, he says.

2024-02-15 08:24:29
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