It has been discovered that Sunday’s €600,000 Elitloppet winner, Propulsion, may be disqualified from the victory because the horse was nerved in both front legs before coming to Europe. This has been reported by Truls Pederson on the harness racing website Trav og Galopp-Nytt in Norway.
Nerving is in violation of Europe’s horse racing doping regulations. Propulsion’s earnings from winning the final of the Elitloppet was $321,261 US.
Nerving is considered a “last resort” procedure performed on horses with caudal heel lameness syndrome or navicular syndrome that have not responded to therapeutic shoeing and medication.
This is a temporary procedure that, in most cases, can relieve the horse of pain for two to seven years, and has helped thousands of horses to continue on in their careers, without the pain that had plagued them before.
Nerving is allowed on racehorses in North American and once completed, a certificate is issued by the veterinarian to that breeds governing organization.
Propulsion, who is sired by Muscle Hill from the Andover Hall mare, Danae, was bred by Fredericka Caldwell and Bluestone Farms in the USA. He is owned by the Brixton Medical Ab of New Jersey.
Unraced at age two for former trainer Tony Alagna, Propulsion made a total of 21 starts in North America during his three and four-year-old career with eight wins and earnings of $86,178 before shipping to race in Europe.
Propulsion is now age nine and while in Europe has made 79 starts with 39 wins and earnings of $3.677 million US.
It has been listed on Propulsion's USTA information data also on Trackit the Standardbred Canada website that the horse was nerved.
Copy of USTA data
Copy of Trackit data
Now in question will be if not only the purse money and the victory in the Elitloppet will be taken away from Propulsion, but whether all of his victories in Europe will be disqualified and all purse earning returned.
This story will continue to be further updated.
By Steve Wolf, for Harnesslink