Horacio de Paz

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Among this week's rulings, trainer Luis Diaz has been banned a combined 18-years and fined a combined $225,000 for possession of prohibited substances. According to HIWU's final written decision, HIWU investigators searched Diaz's barn and vehicle at Turf Paradise, Arizona, on January 21. They found...

Completely friendless in the markets, B Yutiful Carly (Greatest Honour) took flight entering the final furlong of this state-bred maiden at Saratoga and pulled away from her rivals late to cause a 35-1 boilover. Clearly the last away from an outside barrier, the $65,000 Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred yearling turned $90,000 OBS April juvenile settled towards the back of the field down the back of the course and still had just one behind racing around the turn. Pinching ground with an inside run entering the final three furlongs, B Yuitful Carly...

On March 3, 2019, Happy Farm (Ghostzapper) was claimed by trainer Jason Servis for $30,000 at Aqueduct. The dark bay gelding would remain in that barn for an entire year where he'd go on to finish no worse than second in seven starts - highlighted by a victory in the 2019 GIII Fall Highweight Handicap. Within days of Happy Farm's second-place finish in the GIII Tom Fool Handicap on March 7, 2020, Servis was arrested and charged following a multi-year investigation overseen by the FBI that identified over 30 people...

Forty-two starts into his career and with 25 wins, Greeley and Ben (Greeley's Conquest) is in top form as he will look to close out 2023 with a win over four rivals in Saturday's Gravesend S. at Aqueduct. It will, however, be his last ever start at an NYRA track, where horses who are 10 or older are not allowed to compete. That's fine with his connections. They can race him next year at just about anywhere else and are confident that the story of one of the true iron...

A 4 1/2-length winner against state-bred fillies at second asking Sept. 22, Stonewall Star returned to take on the boys last time out, coming in a game third beaten only a length behind Acoustic Ave (Maclean's Music) and GSP Andiamo a Firenze (Speightstown) in the New York Breeders' Futurity at the Finger Lakes Oct. 17. Back against her own gender Saturday as the heavy 2-5 choice, Stonewall Star wasted no time getting to the front, establishing the early lead from the first strides.  With over a length in hand through...

Be Your Best made the most of a picture-perfect trip when debuted over this same track and distance July 31, sitting off the pace and powering home late to score by 3 1/4 lengths en route to a 'TDN Rising Star' nod. Bumped up to stakes company in just her second start, Be Your Best broke as the 6-5 choice and sat closer to the frontrunners this time, racing wide into the first turn in pursuit from third. Settled into a good stride against the hedge up the backstretch, she...

Mike Ryan's Be Your Best (Ire) (Muharaar {GB}--Kamakura, by Medaglia d'Oro) came out swinging Sunday at Saratoga to garner the 'TDN Rising Star' moniker. Let go at 8-1 among a competitive-looking group of juvenile fillies, the Horacio De Paz trainee sat off the pace early and was hung a bit wide around the first bend. She traveled well down the backside, and caught the eye when making a three-wide move around the home bend into a six-furlong split of 1:14.29. Still going strongly out in the enter of the course...