Charles Russell Speechlys successful for the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia in landmark doping case
min readCommercial Dispute Resolution lawyers Danielle Sharkey and Louis Weston were successful in prosecuting a landmark case on behalf of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia.
The case concerned Maximum Security, the winning horse of the inaugural Saudi Cup Race in 2020. Following the horse’s win, its trainer Jason Servis was arrested and indicted in the USA as being involved in the largest international doping scandal in horse racing. As a result, the prize money due to be paid to Maximum Security’s connections - a purse of US$10 million was put on hold and an investigation was commenced by the Jockey Club.
Following a thorough investigation, hampered by the covid pandemic and lack of cooperation by the accused, Jason Servis finally entered a guilty plea to the doping charges at a federal court in New York and was ultimately sentenced to four years in prison.
The care of Maximum Security and other horses trained by Jason Servis came to light during the criminal proceedings in the USA and most notably in the sentencing hearing.
Through the various channels pursued during the investigation and after monitoring the criminal proceedings in the USA, the Charles Russell Speechlys team was able to gather the evidence and information to support the prosecution in Saudi Arabia.
In January of this year, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia charged Jason Servis and in May, Danielle Sharkey and Louis Weston travelled to the Kingdom to present the case before a tribunal.
Danielle Sharkey, Senior Associate and specialist sports lawyer, said:
I am delighted to have supported the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia to bring this matter to a conclusion. Credit should be given to the Jockey Club for the good and proper regulation of the sport in the Kingdom.
The full Decision and Sanction in the case of JCSA v Jason Servis can be found here.
Saudi Arabia is a key growth international market for the firm, and this builds our reputation within the Kingdom and showcases our ability to serve the needs of our clients, both existing and new.
