Trainer Michael Lauer has been suspended 75 days and fined $2,600 over a positive test for metformin in his trainee Mowins, according to the public disclosures section of the website for the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), the enforcement arm of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA).
The period of ineligibility is significantly smaller than the two-year suspension a metformin positive can trigger, since the medication often prescribed for treating human diabetes is listed among HIWU's banned substances. The reduction, according to summary documents from an arbitration hearing, is due to a valid legal prescription held by Mowins' groom in Lauer's barn at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
On race day, Aug. 5, groom Jorge Ceballos took his metformin pill during lunch after his morning duties. He then prepared Mowins for the race, which included putting the bridle in the horse's mouth.
“HIWU agreed that Mr. Lauer was able to establish the source of metformin by a balance of probability was unintentional contamination by Mr. Ceballos during his pre-race grooming preparations,” the summary document reads.
Fault is considered to fall in any of three categories: light or insignificant fault; moderate fault; and significant fault. Lauer was determined to bear a light degree of fault for the violation.
“Mr. Lauer fulfilled his personal responsibility to be knowledgeable of the ADMC Program and to inform all personnel associated with the care, treatment, training, or racing of his Covered Horses of their respective obligations under the Protocol. Mr. Lauer properly educated and instructed [assistant trainer] Ms. Dudley about necessary safeguarding measures he wanted implemented at his barns to minimize the chance drugs or foreign substances would enter his horses' systems, which Ms. Dudley followed. Because Mr. Lauer managed barns in two states simultaneously, he made a reasonable delegation of oversight responsibilities at Horseshoe Indianapolis to Ms. Dudley, while he remained in Churchill Downs Training Center, especially given her adherence to his safeguarding policies and commitment to providing instructions to all personnel working for her and around Mr. Lauer's horses about the necessary safeguards that Mr. Lauer required to have in place.
“The following mitigating factors are present in this case which place Mr. Lauer's degree of fault at the low end of the light degree of fault range: (1) Ms. Dudley is a trusted, diligent assistant trainer who has worked for Mr. Lauer before without incident; (2) the AAF arose from inadvertent contamination (as opposed to intentional administration); (3) Mr. Lauer was not actually aware Mr. Ceballos was using Metformin; and (4) Mr. Ceballos had a current, valid and legal prescription for Metformin.”
Lauer had been provisionally suspended since Oct. 12, following a confirmation of the metformin positive from Mowins' B sample. Accordingly, his 75-day suspension will run through Dec. 26, 2023.
Prior to the original notification of a positive test, Mowins ran eighth in the Bucchero handicap on Aug. 23. Accordingly, the horse has been disqualified from his results on both Aug. 5 and Aug. 23, with purse money ordered returned. Mowins was also suspended for 60 days beginning Aug. 31, and has been reinstated following a negative re-entry test.
In other case news released by HIWU recently, a metformin positive for trainer Anthony Farrior was withdrawn when the B sample was unable to be analyzed due to insufficient volume; trainer Reed Saldana has been suspended two years and fined $37,000 after losing arbitration over a positive test for the vasodilator diisopropylamine; and trainers Jeffrey Englehart and A. Ferris Allen III were both handed seven-day suspensions for their second Class C positive tests.
The previous edition of the HIWU Weekly Roundup is available here, and all public disclosures can be found on the HIWU website.
New Case Resolutions
The following cases have recently been resolved by HIWU, either via admission and acceptance of consequences (ADMISSION), via arbitration (ARBITRATOR), or via final decision of HIWU or the IAP (FINAL).
Note: The accumulation of Penalty Points can lead to suspensions (6-7 points leads to a 30-day suspension).
- Trainer Reed Saldana was suspended 24 months with a $25,000 fine after he lost an arbitration over his trainee Ice Queen testing positive for the vasodilator diisopropylamine. Saldana has also been ordered to pay $12,000 toward HIWU's arbitration cost (he was already responsible for his share of the cost), and Ice Queen was disqualified from her third-place finish in a June 16 starter allowance at Santa Anita Park. For more about this result, click here. (ARBITRATOR)
- Trainer Jeff Hiles has been fined $3,000 and assessed 3 Penalty Points for a violation of the intra-articular injection rule within seven days of a timed workout with Blue Devil on Nov. 4. (FINAL)
- Trainer A. Ferris Allen III was suspended seven days (Dec. 13 through 19) for a second Class C violation. His trainee Aristocratic tested positive for phenylbutazone after finishing second in a starter allowance race at Colonial Downs on Sept. 1; the horse has been disqualified with purse money ordered returned. Allen was also fined $1,000 and assessed 1.5 Penalty Points. (ADMISSION)
- Trainer Jeffrey Englehart was suspended seven days (Dec. 13 through 19) for a second Class C violation. His trainee Graywing tested positive for phenylbutazone after finishing fourth in an allowance race at Finger Lakes on July 17; the horse has been disqualified with purse money ordered returned. Englehart was also fined $1,000 and assessed 1.5 Penalty Points. (ADMISSION)
- Trainer Tony Lello has been fined $500 and assessed 1.5 Penalty Points over Reel Em In testing positive for methocarbamol after a vet's list workout at the Downs at Albuquerque on Oct. 28. (ADMISSION)
- Trainer Joe Pizzurro has been fined $500 and assessed 1.5 Penalty Points over Atlantic Firestorm testing positive for phenylbutazone after a vet's list workout at Mahoning Valley on Oct. 25. (ADMISSION)
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 are listed in italics, and active suspensions have the responsible person's name listed in bold.
Postponed suspensions, those for substances yet to be confirmed by split sample, are listed with an asterisk (*).
- *Dr. Margaret Smyth – possession of banned substances sarapin and levothyroxine (violation date Oct. 4)
- Trainer Adolfo Macias – possession of banned substance levothyroxine (violation date Sept. 20)
- Trainer Michael Pappada
- Thisaintjumpstreet, Willie Wando, and Tudox Rue Majestic incurred violations of Rule 3229(b)–Status During Provisional Suspension or Ineligibility
- Runaway Harry, a gelding, tested positive for altrenogest after winning a starter allowance at Presque Isle Downs on Aug. 28.
- Trainer Daniel Kenney – possession of banned substance levothyroxine (violation date Aug. 25)
- *Dr. Barbara Hippie's provisional suspension has been lifted pursuant to Rule 3247(c)(4), “exceptional circumstances exist that make it clearly unfair, taking into account all of the circumstances of the case, to impose a Provisional Suspension prior to the final hearing on the merits,” after being found to be in possession of banned substances bisphosphonate, pitcher plant extract (sarapin), levothyroxine, and isoxuprine (violation date Sept. 28)
- Dr. Scott Shell – possession of banned substances bisphosphonate; gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), and isoxsuprine (violation date Sept. 28)
- Trainer John Pimental (imposed sanctions were vacated when HIWU accepted the trainer's withdrawal of admission of guilt; adjudication restarted)
- Possession of Levothyroxine (violation date July 28)
- Golovkin tested positive for methamphetamine after finishing last (sixth) in a claiming race at Monmouth Park on May 29. A claim on the horse was voided from this race.
- *Trainer Hector Palma's provisional suspension was lifted pursuant to Rule 3247(e) after his trainee Baladi tested positive for methamphetamine after finishing fourth in a claiming race at Del Mar on July 30. The 4-year-old gelding remains provisionally suspended from racing.
- *Trainer Randy Preston's provisional suspension was lifted pursuant to Rule 3247(e) after Fly Home tested positive for methamphetamine after winning a maiden claiming race at Belterra Park on July 20.
- Trainer Milton Pineda's admission of guilt has been withdrawn, and thus his provisional suspension has been reinstated. Eight of Pineda's trainees tested positive for the banned substance diisopropylamine, a vasodilator, between June 2 and July 4 of this year.
- Trainer Jim Lewis – Hughie's Holiday tested positive for clenbuterol after winning a claiming race at Ruidoso Downs on July 8. The 5-year-old mare remains provisionally suspended from racing.
- Trainer Ramon Rechy – Night Livin tested positive for methamphetamine after winning a claiming race at Horseshoe Indianapolis on July 7.
- *Trainer Bruno Tessore's provisional suspension was lifted pursuant to Rule 3247(e) after his trainee Tenebris, a gelding, tested positive for altrenogest on July 18 (no races or workouts listed on that date by Equibase).
- Trainer Lorenzo Ruiz's admission of guilt has been withdrawn, and thus his provisional suspension has been reinstated. Three of Ruiz's trainees tested positive for the banned substance diisopropylamine, a vasodilator.
- Trainer Donald H. Buckner – In the Midst tested positive for clenbuterol after finishing fifth in an allowance race at Thistledown on June 15. The 4-year-old gelding, though listed as provisionally suspended from racing by HIWU, has raced once at Mountaineer Park in West Virginia since the positive, finishing fifth on Aug. 9 (West Virginia is not subject to HISA regulation due to ongoing legal disputes).
- *Trainer Mary Pirone's provisional suspension was lifted pursuant to Rule 3247(e) after her trainee Benny The Jet tested positive for altrenogest after the gelding finished fifth in a claiming race at Emerald Downs on June 24. Under HISA rules, the claim may be voided.
- Trainer Joseph Taylor's admission of guilt has been withdrawn, and his provisional suspension has been reinstated. Two of his trainees tested positive for banned substances methylphenidate and clenbuterol.
- Trainer Milton Pineda's admission of guilt has been withdrawn, and thus his provisional suspension has been reinstated. Eight of Pineda's trainees tested positive for the banned substance diisopropylamine, a vasodilator, between June 2 and July 4 of this year.
- Trainer Jonathan Wong – Heaven and Earth tested positive for metformin after winning a maiden race at Horseshoe Indianapolis on June 1.
Pending Violations – Controlled Substances
The following cases include pending violations for controlled substances of Class B or higher, those that are permitted for therapeutic purposes, but not on race days or during vet's list workouts (new cases in italics).
- Trainer Bonnie Lucas – Tankinator tested positive for xylazine on Nov. 7 at Parx Racing after a race in which he was pulled up and vanned off. (Class B) – **The same horse was also disqualified from a last-out victory (Oct. 21) under trainer Webster Gayle over a positive test for dexamethasone – a claim on the horse was voided due to the positive, which remains pending under HIWU.
- Trainer Lacey Gaudet – violation of the intra-articular injection rule within seven days of a timed workout with Graceful Union (Nov. 29)
- Trainer Peter Walder – violation of the intra-articular injection rule within seven days of a timed workout with Hello Jack (Nov. 25)
- Trainer Jose Puentes – J and K Express tested positive for acepromazine after a vet's list workout at Golden Gate on Nov. 5 (Class B)
- Trainer Peter Eurton – Stayincotai tested positive for acepromazine on Oct. 26. (Class B)
- Trainer Gerald Brooks – Breezy Connection tested positive for gabapentin after finishing second in a starter optional claimer at Timonium on Sept. 4. (Class B)
- Trainer Jeffrey Englehart –
- Mi Tres Por Ciento tested positive for methocarbamol after a vet's list workout at Finger Lakes on Aug. 23. (Class C)
- Wait A Minute tested positive for acepromazine after a vet's list workout at Finger Lakes on July 18. (Class B)
- Mi Tres Por Ciento tested positive for methocarbamol after a vet's list workout at Finger Lakes on July 18. (Class C)
- Graywing tested positive for phenylbutazone after finishing fourth in an allowance race at Finger Lakes on July 17. (Class C)
- Trainer Rodolfo Garcia – violation of the intra-articular injection rule within seven days of a timed workout with Castellana (Sept. 15).
- Trainer Ron Moquett – Lundberg tested positive for acepromazine after a vet's list workout at Ellis Park on Aug. 12. (Class B)
- Trainer Carlos Mancilla – Cara in the City tested positive for gabapentin after finishing second in a maiden claiming race at Pimlico on Sept. 10. (Class B)
- Trainer Jason DaCosta – Poker Partner tested positive for gabapentin after winning a maiden special weight race at Parx on July 18. (Class B)
- Trainer Chris Hartman – Necker Island tested positive for acepromazine after winning the Mighty Beau Stakes at Ellis Park on June 18. (Class B)
The previous edition of the HIWU Weekly Roundup is available here, and all public disclosures can be found on the HIWU website.
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