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Investigators Conference Opens Sunday

Officially sold out, the Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI) opens its 27th annual training conference with a reception for attendees on Sunday evening at the Lodge in the Desert in Tucson, Arizona.

The ORI Conference includes a dozen speaker sessions scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, as presenters cover a variety of topics, including money laundering, regulatory oversight, medications, ethics, the media, human trafficking, licensing, drugs and alcohol on the backstretch, employee retention and barn surveillance. The final speaker on Tuesday will be Shawn Loehr, Director of Investigative Operations for the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), who will give an overview of his office's program.

“We are extremely excited to welcome everyone to this year's ORI event and we want to thank all of our sponsors,” said Chairman Juan Estrada. “We expected around 45 to attend and we more than doubled that, so the interest and understanding about how important our network is can be interpreted as better than ever.”

To go along with this lineup, Monday afternoon will be devoted to a series of case studies and practical searches at Rillito Racetrack, which will be overseen by ORI Board Members. As an onsite teaching classroom, the setting will give participants a first-hand look into the latest techniques when it comes to investigation.

With students from the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program serving as volunteers during the conference, Chair Robert Hartman will deliver remarks at a dinner on Monday evening, which will be followed by author Melisa Del Bosque's keynote address. An awards ceremony intended to highlight the accomplishments of ORI members will conclude the banquet.

Click here, for the ORI Conference Program.

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2023 ORI Conference Schedule Set For Tucson

Money laundering, licensing, ethics, the relationship between the investigator and the media, human trafficking, an overview of HIWU and an in-depth case study at Rillito Park Racetrack are just some of the session topics that the Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI) will cover during their 2023 conference, which will be held from Sunday, Feb. 26 to Wednesday, Mar. 1 at the University of Arizona and The Lodge on the Desert in Tucson. True to form, the agenda, which was announced Thursday, places a strong emphasis on training in order to provide participants with security and investigative backgrounds access to the latest tradecraft and the opportunity to network with other members.

On Monday night the annual awards dinner will feature a keynote address by Melissa Del Bosque, author of Bloodlines: The True Story of a Drug Cartel, the FBI and the Battle for a Horse-Racing Dynasty (2018). Remarks by Robert Hartman, Chairman, University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) is also a part of the program. Additionally, an awards ceremony will include the John F. Wayne Lifetime Membership Award, and present Lifetime and ORI Board Members will also be recognized. A business meeting for members will take place on the final day of the conference. Click here, for the complete ORI Conference schedule. If you would like to receive Press Releases from ORI, please email: racinginvestigatormedia@gmail.com.

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Breeders’ Cup Security Team Assembles Once Again to Protect World’s Horses

Members of the Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI) are once again working diligently to provide the highest level of security for the world's best Thoroughbreds that have assembled for the 2022 Breeders' Cup.

With a handpicked team of some 30 investigators, the BC Equine Security Team (BCEST) hails from all corners of the United States, and also includes international representation from Canada and Ireland.

Working closely with a local company of security personnel, the BCEST will provide 24-hour round-the-clock care for the horses that will be running on Friday November 4 and Saturday November 5 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky.

With a wealth of experience in law enforcement, members of the BCEST work for racetrack and state agencies back home. The opportunity to come to the Breeders' Cup is the chance to ensure that compliance is of the utmost importance.

Not only will members be working closely with the Breeders' Cup Veterinarian Team to collect samples, ensuring the chain of custody, but they will be onsite to showcase their knowledge and expertise by keeping everyone safe.

“Customer service and experience is so important to us,” said Don Ahrens (Sam Houston Race Park). “Everything we do is for the care of these equine athletes, and making sure everyone is compliant is our top priority.”

Ahrens, along with Mike Kilpack (NTRA), spearhead this operation, having done so for over a decade. “We are driven to provide the Breeders' Cup and its fans with all the security that we can muster, said Kilpack. “Each and every member of this team is the best of the best.” The BCEST assembled on Sunday Night for a 'Meet and Greet,' but the planning takes place months in advance.

Picking a group of investigators from across America is no easy task, but Ahrens and Kilpack have a vast set of experiences in their toolkit.

This year, there are several additions to their squad, including a 'dispatcher' that will manage the day and night shifts, utilizing camera technology that will monitor the stalls.

As the Breeders' Cup does every year, a quarantine area for international runners will also be located in the barn area, with restricted access to a select few.

The BCEST 2022 edition, also includes over 10 'rookie' members at Keeneland. For their first event, it is up to the senior leadership to get them up to speed as quickly as possible.

Ahrens said, “These folks know their business, and are used to the rigors of investigating in their own locales, so that is incredibly helpful when it comes to training them for an event of this magnitude.”

After an orientation on Monday at the Keeneland Sales Ring, BCEST will officially swing into action on Tuesday. Led by Juan Estrada (Arizona Department of Gaming), the 'Night Crew' will acclimatize themselves before their posting begins at 4 p.m. each afternoon.

Both shifts have Saturday after the Breeders' Cup Classic as their target. Until then, paying attention and monitoring their barns will be the focal point. In other words, the best of the best will protect their counterparts to the fullest extent.

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Two Trainers, Jockey, Suspended After Searches at Parx

Parx-based trainers Miguel Penaloza and Cesareo Marquez and jockey Edwin Rivera have been summarily suspended by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission after recent investigations found the three to be in possession of contraband. The trainers were found to be in possession of hypodermic needles, syringes and injectable substances, while Rivera was caught with an electrical device.

According to a press release from the Organization of Racing Investigators, investigators from multiple jurisdictions assembled the week of Sept. 19 and conducted barn searches and stopped cars at the backstretch gates at all three of Pennsylvania's thoroughbred tracks. The effort was led by Jason Klouser, director of enforcement, Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission. The investigators came from Pennsylvania, Texas, California, Arizona, Florida and Kentucky.

The search at Parx that caught the three individuals took place on Sept. 23, the day before the running of the GI Pennsylvania Derby. The Organization of Racing Investigators dubbed the team sent to Parx the “Pennsylvania Derby Racing Integrity Team.”

“By establishing a strong presence, the Racing Integrity Teams at each site protected Thoroughbreds, ensuring that equine safety and integrity were the top priorities,” the press release read. “The investigations at Parx produced some important results, after sweeps at the gate and stable areas.”

According to the ruling posted on the Pennsylvania Racing Commission's website, a search of Penaloza's barn and tack room uncovered two loaded syringes and a needle. Under Pennsylvania rules, no person, except a commission veterinarian, racetrack veterinarian or veterinarian licensed by the commission, may possess or use a hypodermic needle, hypodermic syringe capable of accepting a needle and injectable substances of any kind, type or description on the licensed racetrack grounds, in that person's custody, control or possession.

Penaloza has been training since 2015 and has 172 winners from 1,360 starters for a winning rate of 13%. He is 15-for-107 on the year at Parx. He had a positive for dexamethosone during the 2021 Monmouth meet and received a 15-day suspension. That same year he had a positive for Methocarbamol at Parx and was fined $1,000.

According to the ruling, Marquez was found to be in possession of multiple loaded needles and syringes. Represented by attorney Alan Pincus, Marquez appeared at a hearing before the board of stewards on Sept. 26, where the ruling was affirmed.

Marquez is in his first year of training and is 3-for-73 on the year for a winning rate of 4%.

According to the commission's ruling, after his car was stopped at the backstretch gate, Rivera was found to be in possession of two electrical devices. A hearing for Rivera was held Sept. 26, but, according to the press release, he refused to testify. The press release also noted that under Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority regulations a jockey found with an electrical device faces a ban of up to 10 years.

Rivera has been riding since 2007 and has 847 career winners. He has 42 winners on the year at Parx and is in tenth place in the standings.

According to its website, the Organization of Racing Investigators, Inc. is “comprised of professionals responsible for investigations associated with professional horse racing” and its members “are employed by government, police, and regulatory entities as well as private security firms and racetracks.” The description on the website continues: “ORI members actively investigate race fixing, horse doping, animal abuse, drug abuse, money laundering, cyber crime, fraud, conspiracy, and a host of other infractions of the laws and rules that govern professional horse racing and pari-mutuel activity. ORI members assist with the most expansive and aggressive drug testing program in professional sports, conduct background investigations, and cooperate with law enforcement agencies at all levels of government.”

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