NEW YORK Two years after filing a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, an aggrieved harness-racing bettor has received $20,000 in the settlement of his claims that he was cheated out of his winnings when a doped horse won a race in New Jersey in 2016.
After the lawsuit was filed in March 2018, leading figures in harness racing said they had never before heard of such a lawsuit, which accused the trainer of fraud and racketeering.
Under the settlement, the defendants agreed to pay Tretter $20,000, and Tretter agreed to donate $7,500 of that sum to a racehorse adoption program .
The owner of Meadowlands, Jeff Gural, has been among the leaders in harness racing trying to curb doping.
PETA is critical of horse racing, but is pushing for reforms rather than actively campaigning for an all-out ban.