Page 132 - February 2017

Five Positives Turns Negative for New Mexico Owner
New Mexico Racing Commission holding racehorse owner accountable for positive Clenbuterol tests.
In January, the New Mexico Racing Commission fined owner Alberto Villanueva $15,000 for owning five Quarter Horses who tested positive for the prohibited substance Clenbuterol.
The New Mexico Racing Commission utilized its ability to fine owners of horses when their horses are confirmed positive for illegal drugs. In May of
2016, Villanueva had horses under the care of Sierra Moseley, who was a newly licensed trainer. Under Moseley’s care, two of Villanueva’s horses tested positive for Clenbuterol through the NMRC’s enhanced out-of-competition testing program. The horses’ names were Dyna O Mite and Burns Folly. According to the NMRC ruling, the horses were put on the stewards list and were ineligible to run for a period of 60 days, from June 11, 2016 – Aug. 10, 2016.
Once the horses were removed from the stewards list, they returned to racing under the care of trainer Victor Rodriguez-Flores.
By Sept. 10, 2016, another one of Villanueva’s horses, Woody Can Do, tested positive for clenbuterol at Zia Park in a postrace test. It was Villanueva’s third positive within a five-month period.
On Sept. 11, 2016 and Sept. 25, 2016, Villanueva would pick up his fourth and fifth clenbuterol positives when his horses Dyna O Mite and Delightning Teller, also under the care of trainer Victor Rodriguez-Flores, had positive postrace tests.
According to New Mexico’s Administrative Codes, the NMRC can penalize an owner up to $5,000 after their second “penalty B” drug violation, which is the penalty category that Clenbuterol falls into. The Zia Park stewards, led by longtime Presiding Steward Violet “Pinkie” Smith, ruled on the last three positives and felt comfortable in levying a $5,000 fine for each additional violation for a total of $15,000.
“If this doesn’t send a strong message, it should,” said Smith. “If an owner doesn’t change their way of thinking or does not put distance between them and a trainer with multiple drug violations, then I feel the owner is condoning the trainer’s action.”
Any more Clenbuterol violations by Villanueva’s horses in the future could cost him at least $5,000 each.
“With the implementation of our new 60-day Stewards List rule, Mr. Villanueva has lost valuable time and money in regards to these positives,” said NMRC Executive Director Ismael “Izzy” Trejo. “After we put the horses in ‘jail’ for 60 days, take the purses away and fine you, it all adds up.”
This article aims to create open dialogue and increase public awareness, but as this is an evolving situation, Speedhorse plans to continue updating readers throughout the process.
We want to try to ensure that every horse in every race is running clean.
Ismael “Izzy” Trejo, Executive Director
New Mexico Racing Commission
the premise. Basically you’re going to have to prove to us that your horse is clean and if you do that, your horse can come and run at our racetracks. The bulk of the legwork will be done by the racetracks themselves. That’s the original idea, but everything is subject to change once we vet this out.”
Any new rules would not change the current testing conducted by the commission.
“We are still going to post-race test these horses – that’s going to continue to be part
of our program and always has been in every jurisdiction,” Trejo said. “We do have the ability through our rules for our out-of-competition program – that’s a whole different subject. The commission has it in their rules to do hair sample testing, and we have. It’s for information use, but this is a different ball of wax completely.”
The idea of horses needing a clean hair sample result before competing is in its infancy and will require more meetings, discussions and research, as many details will need to be worked out. The commission could have rules in place by mid- summer to fall.
“We want to try to ensure that every horse in every race is running clean,” Trejo said. “That’s what one of the goals is. We don’t mind letting people know that we’re tired of messing around.”
W. L. Mooring, of Double LL Farms in Bosque, New Mexico, is representing owners in development meetings, but preferred to wait until more formal plans are made before commenting on the process.
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