The Syringe at the Track

The Accused was a licensed trainer of Standardbred racehorses in Ontario. The provincial racing commission's rules barred possessing syringes and using drugs to enhance a horse's performance. He was caught on video injecting a horse with epinephrine and/or clenbuterol before a race; that horse finished sixth. On a later occasion he tried to bring a syringe loaded with prohibited drugs onto raceway property, intending to drug another horse that was to race later that day. He was arrested and that horse was scratched from the race. Bets of more than $5,000 had been placed on both races. He was charged with defrauding the betting public of money wagered and with attempted fraud under s. 380 of the Criminal Code, along with separate counts of cheating at play. Did doping racehorses put bettors at risk of being deprived of their money?