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, owner and trainer Raul Beltran-Moreno has been suspended for 18-months and fined $12,500 after he was found in possession of Pitcher Plant Extract, a banned substance (which goes by the brand name Sarapin) due to its analgesic properties. The suspension began on April 30.
According to a brief explanation in the case resolution, the substance was found in Beltran-Moreno's possession at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino in Sunland Park, New Mexico on January 8. According to Equibase, Beltran-Moreno has been training since last year, making 49 starts and winning five races.
Resolved ADMC Violations
Dates: 05/05/2026
Licensee: Jose A. Gallegos, trainer
Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on May 6, 2026; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points.
Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Distinct, who finished ninth at Tampa Bay on 3/20/26.
Dates: 05/05/2026
Licensee: Mark S. Tubbs, trainer
Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horses' Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. The following are treated as one violation. Final decision of HIWU.
Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone–a class C controlled substance–in samples taken from C'S Lilly Dancer, who won at Turf Paradise on 2/28/26; and from Lotsa Kitty, who won at Turf Paradise on 3/16/26.
Dates: 05/04/2026
Licensee: S. Matthew Kintz, trainer
Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision of HIWU.
Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Dantrolene–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Busker, who finished 10th at Tampa Bay on 3/22/26.
Dates: 05/01/2026
Licensee: Juan Carlos Gotera, trainer
Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points.
Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Patty's Having Fun, who finished fourth at Mahoning Valey on 3/26/26.
Dates: 04/29/2026
Licensee: Raul Beltran-Moreno, trainer
Penalty: 18-month period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on April 30, 2026; a fine of $12,500.
Explainer: Breach of rule 3214(a), concerning “Possession of a Banned Substance”–in this case Pitcher Plant Extract–for an event dated 1/8/26.
Pending ADMC Violations
05/06/2026, Todd Fincher, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Dantrolene–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Sunset Sizzle on 3/31/26.
05/05/2026, Leslielyn Hardesty, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from That's My Cat, who finished fifth at Tampa Bay on 2/25/26.
05/01/2026, Eddie Kenneally, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Tramadol–a class B controlled substance–in a sample taken from Bowling Blue, who finished seventh at Turfway Park on 2/28/26.
04/30/2026, Rogelio Labra, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Cobalt Salts (e.g. CoCl2)–a banned substance–in a sample taken from Shallus, who finished third at Turfway Park on 3/12/26.
4/30/2026, Maria G. Gonzalez, trainer: Pending alleged violation of rule 3229, regarding the “Status During Provisional Suspension or Ineligibility,” for an undescribed event (concerning the horses I'magambler and Warriors Mark) dated 2/9/26. Gonzalez is already serving an 18-month suspension (which began on Feb. 7) after one of her trainees tested positive in an out-of-competition test for the banned substance, Albuterol.
Crop Violations
Aqueduct
Kendrick Carmouche – reporting date May 4; $1,000 fine, two-day suspension
Omar H. Moreno – reporting date May 4; $250 fine, no other information
Dalila Rivera – reporting date May 4; $500 fine, one-day suspension
Kendrick Carmouche – reporting date May 4; $500 fine, one-day suspension
Fairmount Park
Emmanuel Giles – reporting date May 2; $250 fine, one-day suspension
Oaklawn Park
Luis Fuenmayor – reporting date April 30; $250 fine, no other information
Parx Racing
Jorge A. Vargas – reporting date May 1; $35 fine, no other information
Santa Anita
Victor Espinoza – reporting date May 1; $500 fine, one-day suspension
Tampa Bay
Cesar D. Gonzalez – reporting date May 1; $250 fine, one-day suspension
Thistledown
Jose A. Bracho – reporting date May 2; $250 fine, one-day suspension
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