Leading US trainer handed 380 day suspension

New Jersey-based harness racing trainer Per Engblom has been suspended for 380 days and fined $6,000 following a post-race drug violation stemming from an April 2023 win at the Meadowlands Racetrack.

The ruling, finalized by the New Jersey Racing Commission (NJRC) on April 23, 2025, stems from a positive test for Oxycodone, Carisoprodol, and Meprobamate—a metabolite of Carisoprodol—in the horse Mon Amour, who won the 6th race on April 29, 2023. The substances were detected in both the original and split samples analyzed by Industrial Laboratories and Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, respectively.

Engblom, listed as the official trainer of Mon Amour, was held strictly liable under NJRC rules prohibiting any foreign substances in a racehorse’s system. Following an administrative hearing on December 6, 2023, the Board of Judges initially handed Engblom a 365-day suspension, which he appealed.

The case was then referred to the Office of Administrative Law, where Judge Thomas R. Betancourt upheld the violation but recommended reducing the suspension to 90 days. However, the Racing Commission rejected the reduced penalty at its March 19, 2025 meeting, reinstating the original ban, disqualification of purse money, and the addition of 8 Multiple Medication Violation (MMV) points to Engblom’s record.

Engblom’s suspension begins May 16, 2025, and runs through May 30, 2026. The $6,000 fine must be paid in full by the final day of his suspension.

MON AMOUR REPLAY

Per Engblom has several runners engaged this week including horses in both the $490,000 Blue Chip Matchmaker Series Final and $516,000 MGM Borgata Pace Final at Yonkers Raceway on Friday.

Here is the current list of the top 10 trainers list for 2025 on money won

From Harnesslink Media