Meyer v. Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Comm'n

In Meyer v. Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Comm'n, 72 Pa. Commw. 495, 456 A.2d 1164 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1983), the owner of a horse that placed second in a race contested the penalty assessed to the horse that placed first in that race after a prohibited substance was found in its system. Id. Meyer contended that the Commission abused its discretion because it did not disqualify the winning horse. Id. The Court found that, because the Commission's regulations stated that penalties may include one or more of a list of sanctions, the Commission did not abuse its discretion when it did not disqualify the winning horse from the purse money. Id. The Stewards in Meyer took into consideration the expert testimony of a professor of veterinary science and toxicology, who indicated that the level of drugs in the winning horse's system would not affect the horse's performance. Id.