Pennsylvania Racing Commission

Saffie Joseph, Jr., the leading trainer at the current meet at Gulfstream Park, has been suspended for 15 days and fined $500 by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission after his trainee Artie's Princess (We Miss Artie) tested positive for the substance Gabapentin after her win in the GII Presque Isle Downs Masters S. on Sept. 19, 2022 at Presque Isle Downs. The story was first reported by the Paulick Report. According to the website Equinews.com, "Gabapentin has been used in horses for many years, and is often prescribed as adjunct therapy...

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...

According to numerous sources, the Pennsylvania Racing Commission stopped several cars over the weekend going through the backstretch gates at Parx and the search uncovered a number of illegal items, including syringes and an electrical device. According to the sources, at least three people have already been summarily suspended, including a jockey and at least two trainers. A groom was also found to have a gun in his possession and marijuana, which is illegal in the state. The TDN was unable to reach anyone at the racing commission for additional...

The Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission reported Monday on the progress of its Equine Safety and Welfare Plan, a list of tangible steps intended to increase protections for horses racing at Pennsylvania's six tracks. The measures, which the commission began implementing Mar. 1, 2022, included an Integrity Hotline for reporting suspected illegal or unethical behavior. "Early results from the hotline and other measures have been promising and reinforce the thorough consideration that went into developing the action plan," said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, who chairs the commission. "Implementing the strategy...

Nearly five months after beginning a suspension for betting against his own mounts, jockey Mychel Sanchez returned to action Wednesday, riding in the second race at Delaware Park. Sanchez finished eighth aboard XY Lady (Sharp Azteca) in the race for 2-year-old maiden fillies. He is also listed on mounts on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday cards at Delaware. Sanchez last rode Jan. 19 at Parx. Shortly after that, the Pennsylvania Racing Commission handed him a 60-day suspension after it was discovered that during a betting spree he made wagers on...

When it was revealed that jockey Mychel Sanchez had gone on a betting spree that included wagers where he bet against the horses he was riding, his attorney Alan Pincus argued that this was not a matter of race fixing. Rather, Pincus said, Sanchez had turned to gambling as an outlet to combat his depression, let things spin out of control and in all cases did his best to win, even when it meant he might beat a horse he had bet on. "He was just doing something crazy that...

Trainer Marcus Vitali, whose career has been plagued by numerous suspensions and controversies, has been suspended for one year and fined $10,000 by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission after a horse he trained named Single Lady (Shanghai Bobby) tested positive for d-methamphetamine. He was also hit with six multiple medication violation points. The infraction occurred on Aug. 21, 2021 at Presque Isle Downs in a maiden special weight race won by the Vitali-trained filly. The horse is owned by Crossed Sabres Farm. The story was first reported by the Paulick Report....

Jockey Mychel Sanchez, who has been suspended 60 days by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission for betting on horses other than the ones he rode, is not a cheat or a race-fixer, his attorney told the TDN Friday. Rather, said lawyer Alan Pincus, Sanchez was dealing with a serious case of depression and took to gambling as an outlet. Pincus said that in all instances Sanchez tried his best to win the races in question, whether he had bet against his own horse or not. "It was clear he was giving...

Trainer Richard Vega has been hit with a two-year suspension by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission after a May 25 backstretch raid at Parx allegedly turned up a number of needles and syringes in his tack room. Paulick Report was the first to report on Vega's suspension, which was handed down June 29 and does not expire until June 28, 2023. According to a ruling posted on the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission's website, during the search of Vega's tack room investigators found 21 loaded syringes, 18 needles, one intravenous filled bag...

Recent backstretch raids staged by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission at Parx have uncovered what Director of Thoroughbred Horse Racing at Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Tom Chuckas described as a "significant amount of contraband" and "items that have no business on the backside." Chuckas made the revelations during a regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday of the Pennsylvania Racing Commission. The meeting was held over Zoom and a one-minute-and-twenty second segment was captured and posted on Twitter by veterinarian Kathryn Papp. Pennsylvania Racing Commissioner Russell Jones took part in the meeting and confirmed...

The Pennsylvania Racing Commission has adopted a new set of rules regarding the medication Lasix, which will soon be banned in all 2-year-old races and graded stakes. The rules, which were approved at a regularly scheduled commission meeting Tuesday, will go into effect June 1. There are seven graded stakes races set to be run this year at Parx, including the GI Pennsylvania Derby and the GI Cotillion S. "I thought that it was obvious that this was the right way to go because Lasix gets abused badly," said Racing...

Addressing the plight of the state's racetracks on Tuesday, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf laid out a difficult path that must be followed before the state's three Thoroughbred tracks can start running again. As is the case with many governors, Wolf has put forth a plan that calls for the state to reopen in stages, in Pennsylvania's case red, yellow and green phases. While horsemen have advocated that racing, without spectators, should be among the first businesses in the state to reopen, Wolf said the tracks cannot resume racing until their...