Eight horses trained by Joe Sharp have been disqualified from races at Fair Grounds run during December after testing positive for levamisole. The horses were placed last, the purses for each race redistributed, and Sharp fined $1,000 for each occurrence. Levamisole is commercially available for use as a dewormer in cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs, according to information on the medication disseminated by the Racetrack Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) and is regularly used, off-label, for treatment of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) in horses, according to the RMTC posting. The Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) classifies it as a Class 2 (b) medication, a drug “with a high potential to affect performance,” because it can metabolize in a horse into aminorex, a potent stimulant listed as a Class 1 drug by the RMTC. No trace of aminorex was found in any of the positive tests on Sharp-trained horses. Sharp waived his right to have split samples from the affected horses tested, admitted he had administered the drug, said he wouldn’t appeal the rulings, and wasn’t suspended by the Fair Grounds stewards, who declined to refer the rulings to the Louisiana Racing Commission. The ARCI recommends a 15-day suspension for a first offense in the Class 2 (b) category but the stewards said they took mitigating circumstances presented in hearings into account when deciding to penalize Sharp with fines and disqualifications but no suspension. Sharp, as he had told stewards, said when reached by phone Thursday that his stable began using levamisole as a dewormer in mid-November. “We stopped immediately when we found out, talked to our vets and found out what it was,” Sharp said. “Any of them that had it, it built up on their system. On Dec. 12, we got it out of the barn.” While many stables use veterinarians to administer deworming agents, that’s not a requirement, and a trainer could, in theory, purchase a dewormer at a feed store and give it to his horses without any veterinary oversight. The easy availability of levamisole and its legitimate use as a deworming agent in livestock formed the basis for the stewards’ decision not to suspend Sharp. “It’s a compound you can buy at any tack supply and feed store in the world,” said state steward Roy Wood. “He was very forthright, said he bought it, he used it. I think it was a stupid thing but an honest mistake.” It’s unclear why levamisole would become a dewormer of choice with other less fraught options readily available. The Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, a national body, lists levamisole on a “medication alerts” page on their website because of the issue of aminorex metabolism, and the RMTC has offered specific guidance on the drug, saying that horsemen should test any horse administered levamisole before racing them because it’s unclear how long the drug remains in a horse’s system. Sharp said any affected horses, including a string at Oaklawn, have been tested – privately and by state veterinarians – to ensure the substance has cleared. The horses disqualified for positive tests are Sweet N Salty Kiss, who won a maiden special weight race Dec. 1; Tempt Fate, who won a $15,000 maiden-claimer Dec. 6; Midnight Fantasy, who crossed the wire first but was disqualified to second for interference in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint on Dec. 14; Robinson, who finished second in a $25,000 maiden-claimer Dec. 17; Classy Act, who won an allowance race Dec. 19; Sycamore Run, who won a maiden special weight race Dec. 21; O Seraphina, who won a maiden special weight race Dec. 22; and Tracksmith, who won the Woodchopper Stakes on Dec. 28. The preponderance of winning horses that were disqualified results from the face Fair Grounds generally only conducts post-race test on winners of overnight races.