Grade 1 winner Art Collector is among this week's list of covered horses suspended by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), the enforcement arm of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), due to a violation of the evolving intra-articular injection rule.
HIWU announced last week that it will implement new enforcement protocols for the intra-articular injection rule from July 16, 2023. HISA ADMC Rule 4222 prohibits intra-articular injections on race day, within 14 days prior to post-time and within seven days prior to any timed and reported workout. Effective July 16, HIWU will sanction the responsible person of any covered horse that violates the prohibition on intra-articular injections within seven days prior to a timed and reported workout as follows (within a 365-day rolling period):
- 1st violation: $3,000 fine.
- 2nd violation: $6,000 fine, 10-day suspension.
- 3rd violation: $10,000 fine, 30-day suspension.
- 4th violation: $20,000 fine, 60-day suspension.
- 5th violation: $25,000 fine, 120-day suspension.
On July 7, HIWU released a list of 19 covered horses found to have had an intra-articular injection within seven days of a timed and reported workout, making them ineligible to race or breeze for 30 days from the date of injections. HISA had previously published an advisory stating that trainer sanctions would not be enforced relative to intra-articular injections within seven days of a workout, citing confusion about the rule. Though violations of the new rule will not result in horse suspensions beginning on July 16, there were 14 new names added to the list prior to the implementation of new enforcement protocols.
The new names are below, including trainer names where available (previous names available in this story from July 7).
Nine of the horses had additional workouts during the period of suspension, presumably prior to the notice letters for the suspensions were issued. According to the HIWU list, service of the notice letters for these suspensions was completed on or before July 13, 2023.
One horse, Celtic Treasure, even raced twice during his suspension.
New Case Resolutions
Several new case resolutions have been confirmed in the past week by HIWU.
Trainers admitting to rule violations early and accepting consequences are Scott Lake and Richard Shaffer.
Lake was fined $500 and handed 1.5 penalty points; his trainee Louella Street tested positive for the NSAID phenylbutazone after winning a starter optional claiming race at Parx on June 5, 2023. Louella Street was disqualified and her prize money ordered surrendered.
Shaffer was fined $500 and handed 1.5 penalty points; his trainee Devious Mo tested positive for the muscle relaxant methocarbamol after winning a claiming race at Finger Lakes on June 14, 2023. Devious Mo was disqualified and his prize money ordered surrendered.
A final decision was also rendered in the case of trainer Arnoud Dobber. Dobber was fined $500 and handed 1.5 penalty points; his trainee Fast Fixer tested positive for the NSAID phenylbutazone after winning a maiden claiming race at Gulfstream Park on June 2, 2023. Fast Fixer was disqualified and his prize money ordered surrendered.
Pending Violations – Controlled Substances
The following cases include pending violations for controlled substances, those that are permitted for therapeutic purposes (new cases in italics at top of list).
- Trainer Juan Quintana – La Castiglione tested positive for phenylbutazone after a workout at Canterbury Park on June 13, 2023.
- Trainer Carlos Munoz – Lovielee tested positive for phenylbutazone in a claiming race at Gulfstream Park on June 9, 2023 (finished second).
- Trainer Dennis VanMeter – Templement tested positive for phenylbutazone in an allowance race at Thistledown on June 7, 2023 (finished sixth after clipping heels at the start). VanMeter is also provisionally suspended as Templement returned a positive test for the banned substance isoxsuprene in the same race.
- Trainer James Acquilano – Sabreen tested positive for methocarbamol in a claiming race at Finger Lakes on May 31, 2023 (finished second).
- Trainer Sandino Hernandez, Jr. – Jonas' Dream tested positive for naproxen in a maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Park on May 25, 2023 (finished first).
- Trainer Wayne Sparling – Banco Medici tested positive for methocarbamol in a maiden claiming race at Finger Lakes on May 24, 2023 (finished first).
Pending Violations – Provisional Suspensions For Banned Substances
The following cases include pending violations for banned substances, those that are not permitted in horses (new cases in italics at top of list).
- Trainer Lorenzo Ruiz – two runners have tested positive for the vasodilator diisopropylamine
- American Cat tested positive after winning a $16,000 claiming race at Los Alamitos on June 25, 2023. The 4-year-old gelding has since finished third in an allowance optional claimer at Los Al on July 9.
- Facts Matter tested positive after winning a starter allowance race at Los Alamitos on June 23, 2023. The 8-year-old gelding has since finished fifth in a claiming race at Los Al on July 8.
- *** Ruiz is also a multiple stakes-winning Quarter Horse trainer based at Los Al, though he has not started any Quarter Horses since 2022. Since HISA/HIWU have no jurisdiction over Quarter Horse racing, whether or not Ruiz would be able to race Quarter Horses will be up to the state racing commission and/or local racetrack. Ruiz has not started any horses, Thoroughbred or Quarter Horse, since July 9, 2023.
- Trainer Guadalupe Munoz Elizondo – Quinton's Charmer tested positive for metformin, a medication commonly prescribed in humans for type 2 diabetes, on June 11, 2023 (the New Mexico Racing Commission's Izzy Trejo confirmed that the positive test was incurred after a work before the state veterinarian in an attempt to remove Quinton's Charmer from the vet's list).
- ***Munoz Elizondo is also a multiple graded stakes-winning Quarter Horse trainer. Since HISA/HIWU have no jurisdiction over Quarter Horse racing, Munoz Elizondo will still be able to train and race Quarter Horses in New Mexico. Trejo said that HISA gave guidance last year that jockeys suspended for whip violations on a Thoroughbred could ride in Quarter Horse races, so the NMRC has applied the same logic to a trainer with a HIWU suspension. Thus, Munoz Elizondo is permitted to participate in Quarter Horse races. Trejo added that the commission is pushing for a state rule that will apply reciprocity at the NMRC level for HISA suspensions, but that isn't in place yet.
- Trainer Milton Pineda – four runners have now tested positive for the vasodilator diisopropylamine – find more information in this Paulick Report story, including why a supplement may be to blame for the positives
- Chollima won an $8,000 claiming race at Los Alamitos on June 23, 2023, after which she tested positive, and has since finished second in a $12,500 claiming race
- Big Splash won a $16,000 waiver claiming event at Santa Anita on June 10, after which he tested positive. Big Splash has since finished third in an allowance optional claiming race at Los Alamitos on June 24.
- Flatterwithjewels finished second in a $12,500 claiming race at Santa Anita on June 9 and was claimed by Flurry Racing Stables and trainer Phil D'Amato. The claim will be voided under HISA rules.
- Bella Renella won a $20,000 claiming race at Santa Anita on June 2, after which she tested positive. The 6-year-old mare has since won a starter optional claiming race at Santa Anita on June 18.
- Trainer Reed Saldana – Ice Queen tested positive for the vasodilator diisopropylamine after finishing third in a starter allowance at Santa Anita on June 16 – find more information in this Paulick Report story, including why a supplement may be to blame for the positives
- Dr. Luis Jorge Perez, DVM – possession of levothyroxine (violation date June 9, 2023)
- Trainer Dennis VanMeter – Templement tested positive for isoxsuprine after finishing sixth in an allowance race at Thistledown on June 7, 2023 (see above, horse also returned positive test for controlled substance phenylbutazone)
- Trainer McLean Robertson – Johnny Up tested positive for altrenogest after the gelding won a claiming race at Canterbury Park on June 4, 2023 (find more information in this Paulick Report story)
- Trainer Jeffrey Poole – possession of levothyroxine (violation date June 2, 2023)
- Trainer Jonathan Wong – Heaven and Earth tested positive for metformin after winning a maiden race at Horseshoe Indianapolis on June 1 (Wong told the Paulick Report he has been prescribed metformin, a commonly used prescription drug that treats type 2 diabetes in humans, since last year)
- Trainer John T. Brown – Rollin On Tequila tested positive for isoxsuprine after finishing sixth in a claiming race at Thistledown on May 31, 2023
- Trainer Ray Handal – HIWU has lifted the provisional suspension of trainer Raymond Handal, who was told June 30 a horse in his care tested positive for the banned substance zeranol, but the equine anti-doping notice has not been withdrawn. (Attorney Clark Brewster told the Paulick Report that literature shows mycotoxins found on corn or grain can produce zearalenone. Zeranol is a metabolite of zearalenone.)
- Trainer Mario A. Dominguez – Petulant Delight tested positive for cobalt after winning a claiming race at Parx on May 24, 2023
Last week's edition of the HIWU Weekly Roundup is available here, and all public disclosures can be found on the HIWU website.
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