I'm not as in tune to whats going on at Gulfstream as I once was, but I remember when Frank Passero would come out of nowhere to vie for meet training titles there. His win percentage was phenomenal at GP. His crew was caught rubbing "pepper ointment" on the horses genitals just prior to a race and since then he has not been nearly as effective at that meet. Michael Gill/Mark Shuman had considerable jump up success last year. I suspect you are implying that theres not a great deal of backside oversight at GP and I have reason to believe that is/was accurate.

But the real Dr. Sauce has been cheating for the last four to five years. I don't purport to know precisely what is being used but the "usual suspect" is EPO which was developed to treat chemotherapy anemia. It increases the number of oxygen carrying red blood cells. It is also believed EPO diminishes lactic acid build up, which may merely be the result of greater available oxygen.

There are different forms of EPO. Which form is currently in vogue is debatable, however injection of the human form is believed to cause the horse to lose the natural equine red blood cell building ability of its bone marrow and once EPO injections are discontinued the horse can become anemic. A recent Dr. Sauce retiree (Dollar Bill) developed laminitis and will miss the breeding season. Whether his problem is related to anemia is anyone's guess. If he expires a bone marrow test might be interesting. Compounding the problems with detecting EPO is that it dissipates from the horses system within about 48 hours. Though it is my understanding that New York is taking a stand against it.

Anyone speculating as to the use of EPO with this trainer might want to scrutinize his retirees. Other than Aptitude, (Who is fine to the best of my knowledge), I can't think of any others right now.

CtC