PUSLINCH – Richard Moreau has been fined $40,000 and suspended from standardbred racing in Ontario for 10 years.
The fine and suspension were issued by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).
On June 10, AGCO officials collected a sample from Funtime Bayama, a standardbred racehorse then owned by Yves Filion.
It was trained by Moreau and driven by Yves’ son, Sylvain Filion.
The gelding tested positive for darbepoetin alfa (DPO), a prohibited performance enhancing drug that causes bone marrow to produce red blood cells.
“I never considered using this,” Moreau told the Advertiser. “Trust me, I know better.”
Sylvain Filion has also been suspended for 10 years and fined $40,000.
Filion did not respond to an Advertiser request for comment.
Sylvain’s brother, Justin Filion, has been issued an indefinite suspension until he provides a statement to investigators concerning Funtime Bayama.
The AGCO announced the suspensions and monetary penalties on Nov. 1.
Moreau’s suspension began on July 23 and Sylvain Filion’s on Oct. 31, with both ending on those dates in 2034.
Horse sold
“Any horses owned by Moreau and/or Filion are ineligible to be entered to race during the 10-year suspension period,” AGCO officials stated in a press release.
“Horses trained by Moreau and/or Filion are also ineligible to race but may be released or sold to another trainer, if approved by AGCO race officials.”
Days after the sample was collected in June, Funtime Bayama was sold to William Pollock, Bruce Areman and Andrew Harris in New Jersey, according to Standardbred Canada.
Sylvain Fillion was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in August, and has won Standardbred Canada’s driver-of-the-year award four times.
Yves Filion is also in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
According to Standardbred Canada, on Oct. 13 Sylvain Filion announced he would be stepping away from his horse racing career to move to Quebec and focus on his family.
‘Not guilty’
Moreau called the suspensions “unprecedented” and earth-shattering.
“My life is ruined,” he said.
RICHARD MOREAU
Photo by Clive Cohen / New Image Media
He has spent his life working in the horse industry, he said, and will be 70 years old when the suspension ends.
“I started from scratch,” he said, and, “I ended up on top of the world, living the dream.”
Moreau received the O’Brien Trainer of the Year Award from Standardbred Canada ten years in a row, from 2014 to 2023.
He said he had no reason to cheat, as he was “already on top.
“And then all of a sudden, one of my horses tests positive” for DPO, a drug Moreau said he doesn’t know anything about, except that it is trouble.
“I would never expect to live a situation like this,” he said.
The suspension has already caused Moreau to lose his business, he said, including 50 horses he was training and more than a dozen staff members that were “like family.”
Since learning of the positive drug results this summer, Moreau said he has held on to hope that whoever is guilty will step forward and clear his name.
Though Moreau was Funtime Bayama’s trainer and the horse was stabled at his barn, he said the Filion family was in charge of the horse.
Moreau wonders why Justin Filion did not cooperate with the investigation.
The Advertiser was unable to reach Justin Filion for comment.
“I’m at a point in my life right now where I have to stand up for my position – obviously no one else is going to stand up for me…” said Moreau.
“I want everyone to know I’m not guilty.”
Moreau is hopeful his lawyer will be able to “work out a better deal,” and he can return to horse racing before his 70th birthday.
He said he did make one big mistake: trusting other people too much.
‘The integrity of racing’
The 10-year suspensions “follow the immediate suspension of Moreau on July 24,” AGCO officials stated in the Nov. 1 press release.
An investigation into the circumstances around the positive test found that Sylvain Filion was also acting as the horse’s trainer, the release continues.
“Both Filion and Moreau are held responsible for the presence of DPO in Funtime Bayama,” it states.
“The AGCO is committed to safeguarding the health and welfare of racehorses, protecting the safety of individuals, and maintaining the integrity of racing in Ontario,” officials stated in an email.
“We hold all licensees accountable for meeting Ontario’s high regulatory standards and remain committed to always doing so in a fair and transparent manner.”
AGCO officials did not answer any of the Advertiser’s questions, stating that offering additional comments would not be appropriate because Moreau has requested an appeal through the Horse Racing Appeal Panel.
