By Mike Farrell
Jorge Navarro – Photo Courtesy of Anne M.Eberhardt
Off the racetrack — and hopefully permanently — Jorge Navarro reversed his plea to guilty last week and faces sentencing in December for his role in a horse doping and illegal drug distribution scandal.
The wheels of justice do grind slowly but it’s heartening to see the case is proceeding. Navarro, Jason Servis and more than two dozen other trainers, veterinarians and suppliers were rounded up in March 2020, charged with orchestrating a web of wide-spread corruption.
The other large shoe to fall is Servis, whose legal team is reportedly challenging the legality of the wiretaps used to collect evidence. With Navarro already conceding his crime, it will be harder for Servis to escape the same snare.
We now enter the realm of pure speculation. There are two likely reasons Navarro gave up the fight. The first is that the evidence is so overwhelming that his lawyers convinced him the case could not be won. The second is that he was offered a deal to testify against Servis in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Either way, it does not look good for Servis. The disqualification of Maximum Security for interference in the 2019 Kentucky Derby (G1) while a crushing blow, turns out to be the least punishing run-in with the authorities for Servis.
Mike Farrell has worked in thoroughbred and harness racing for much of his career in journalism. Mike is a turf writer, harness writer, and handicapper, covering and analyzing races at dozens of racetracks around the country. Based on the East Coast, Mike has covered the Triple Crown races and the Breeders’ Cup for a number of publications, including Daily Racing Form, as well as The Associated Press. He spends time at Gulfstream Park taking in the races, and also hits the harness racing circuit in the Northeast region. He’s been a fixture at The Hambletonian and the Haskell Invitational for longer than he’d like to remember.