The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit has provisionally suspended two California-based trainers over findings of banned substances, according to notices posted on the HIWU website on Friday. Horses from the barns of both Reed Saldana and Milton Pineda were found to have diisopropylamine in their systems.
On May 22, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Anti-Doping and Medication Control program went into effect in most U.S. racing states, with much harsher sanctions for drug violations. HIWU is HISA's drug testing and enforcement arm.
The HISA/HIWU program puts drug violations into one of two categories: controlled medication substances that are permitted for therapeutic purposes, and banned substances. Individuals covered under HISA receive automatic provisional suspensions when charged with possession of or positive tests for banned substances. Controlled medication cases go through a hearing process before any sanctions are issued.
Diisopropylamine can be found on the HIWU banned substances list as a vasodilator which lacks FDA approval.
The trainers' positive stem from the following races:
- Saldana saddled Ice Queen in a starter allowance at Santa Anita on June 16, in which the 5-year-old mare finished third, beaten a head by the winner.
- Pineda saddled Big Splash in a $16,000 waiver claiming event at Santa Anita on June 10, in which the 4-year-old gelding finished first. Big Splash has since finished third in an allowance optional claiming race at Los Alamitos on June 24.
- A second Pineda runner, 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.
- A third Pineda runner, Bella Renella, won a $20,000 claiming race at Santa Anita on June 2. The 6-year-old mare has since won a starter optional claiming race at Santa Anita on June 18.
Both trainers will be unable to start horses until further notice.
Jeff Plotkin, an owner with Saldana who had a horse entered Saturday at Los Alamitos which has since been scratched by stewards, said a supplement called SU-PER B-15 has been identified as a possible source of the diisopropylamine.
Diisopropylamine is not listed among the ingredients of SU-PER B-15. However, an ingredient which is on the label, pangamic acid, has no standard chemical identity but may be formulated utilizing diisopropylamine dichloroacetate, according to rxlist.com.
Pangamic acid is identified on the supplement label as “Vitamin B-15,” but it is not generally recognized as a vitamin and there is no research that shows it is required by the body, as the term “vitamin” would suggest. According to the SU-PER B-15 information sheet, Vitamin B-15 “has been shown to increase oxygen delivery to the muscles, as well as help to use oxygen more efficiently during the oxidation of glucose. Oxygen is required for the body to properly break down glucose for energy during exercise, and Vitamin B-15 ensures that the body produces as much clean energy as possible.”
HIWU published a warning to horsemen about the use of dietary supplements under its Anti-Doping and Medication Control program on March 31, 2023.
“The ADMC Program permits the possession and use of dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, and homeopathic products,” the notice reads. “Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, such products are not considered drugs, and therefore do not require approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, Covered Persons should be aware that dietary supplements are not regulated, and that positive test results stemming from the presence of a Prohibited Substance in a supplement, whether or not it was properly labeled, will be prosecuted by HIWU as ADMC Program violations.
“The FDA defines a drug, in part, as a substance that is intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease. Consequently, supplements with 'drug claims' on the label, e.g., 'treats ulcers,' 'mitigates bleeding,' or 'prevents tying up,' are considered unapproved animal drugs that lack FDA approval. All drugs that are not approved by the FDA are categorized as Banned Substances (S0) under the ADMC Program.”
Plotkin shared his frustrations over the case with the Paulick Report on Friday.
“As a 30-year plus attorney, and horse owner, a better way to handle any alleged violation would be to honor the United States Constitution, and the right it affords requiring due process,” Plotkin said. “We are dealing with people's livelihoods; without owners and trainers the sport will no longer exist. Maybe that is what HISA is truly about. If that is so, there are going to be trainers and owners exiting the business with these continued witch hunts. It is my strong opinion that if something is uncovered, the horseman in question should be given a period of time to correct whatever has been found. The [SU-PER] B-15, for example, is something that is sold all over the country and has been assumed to be just fine for years.
“I would suggest the immediate formation of a group that includes horsemen, trainers, and representatives of HISA. A way must be achieved to ensure the safety of horse racing, the equine athletes, but also the people that the industry cannot live without – the trainers and the owners.”
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