Police suspect race fixing at Meadowlands
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. --New Jersey State Police have arrested four people, including a leading harness driver at Meadowlands Racetrack, and charged them with offenses ranging from drug possession to fixing races.
The arrests followed an 18-month investigation into suspected illegal performance enhancement of race horses and came after searches last Friday in Freehold, East Windsor and Millstone Township, state police said.
Eric Ledford, 35, of Monroe Township, was arrested at the Meadowlands and charged with conspiracy to fix a race. According to the United States Trotting Association's Web site, Ledford is the eighth-leading driver in the country this year with earnings of more than $1.4 million.
A telephone message left Monday at Ledford's home was not immediately returned.
Ledford is the son of Seldon Ledford, the country's second-leading trainer this year and owner of Seldon Ledford Stables at Showplace Farms in Millstone Township. Horses trained by the Ledford stable were scratched from the Meadowlands program Friday night.
"It was obvious to everybody that some of these horses that were newly acquired by his stable were racing a lot better once they changed hands," said Detective Sgt. Brice Cote, the lead investigator for the state police's Horse Race Unit.
Seldon Ledford is still a subject of the investigation but has not been charged, police said. There is no published phone listing for Seldon Ledford in New Jersey. A message left at a number listed for Ledford in Crete, Ill., was not immediately returned Monday.
Also arrested were Ryan and Ardena Dailey, both 31, employees of Ledford Stables. They were charged with race-rigging and drug possession. No telephone listing was found for the Daileys and they could not be reached for comment.
Veterinarian John R. Witmer, 68, of Freehold, was also charged with conspiracy to fix a race. A person answering the phone at a listing for Witmer said he was no longer at that number.
According to state police, samples of erythropoietin (EPO) and other performance-enhancing drugs banned by the horse racing industry were found during a search of the Daileys' home in East Windsor.
The New Jersey Racing Commission has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday at Freehold Raceway to consider evidence in the case and determine whether sanctions are warranted. Punishment could range from a warning to indefinite suspension, according to Frank Zanzuccki, the commission's executive director.
