An aggrieved harness-racing bettor has gone to court to recoup more than $31,000 in winnings he said he was cheated out of when a doped horse won a race in New Jersey two years ago.
The action, described by racing insiders as unprecedented, was filed in U.S. District Court in New Jersey by an Illinois man, Jeffrey Tretter, who accuses the horse’s trainer of fraud and racketeering.
Tretter says he placed a parlay wager through an online betting site on a harness race at Meadowlands Racetrack in January 2016. The horses he picked to place first through fourth instead finished behind a long shot, Tag Up and Go, which later tested positive for EPO, a banned performance-enhancing substance.
The trainer, Robert Bresnahan Jr. was barred from competing at Meadowlands.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is backing the suit, saying the group hopes the lawsuit will curtail doping.
“Horses continue to be drugged, bettors get cheated, and trainers get slaps on the wrist,” said PETA senior vice president Kathy Guillermo. “Maybe if they’re hit squarely in the wallet, they will pay attention and stop hurting horses.”
