Investigation turns up an Illicit drug in a dozen racehorses following the high-stakes All American

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico regulators have suspended two prominent horse trainers after tests turned up a banned medication in a dozen racehorses that competed in one of the world’s most recognized and richest quarter-horse events.

Officials with the New Mexico Racing Commission described it as unprecedented to have so many top finishers test positive on such an important race day. The All American is equivalent to the Kentucky Derby for thoroughbreds.

More than $5 million in purse money for the All American Futurity and the other races run that September day had been withheld pending the outcome of the testing, which took months to complete.

Regulators announced the suspensions during a news conference Wednesday. The formal notices were issued Thursday.

“These poor innocent horses are being administered these illicit drugs to try to get an unfair advantage in our big races. And it was this commission’s duty and job to try to discover that,” said Ismael “Izzy” Trejo, the commission’s executive director.

It was the distressed behavior of Hezgothelook Z, the winner of the All American and the Triple Crown, that caught the attention of veterinarians and race fans. That spurred an investigation to determine what exactly was in the horse’s blood.

Lab tests discovered carmoterol in Hezgothelook Z and 11 other horses that ran in high-stakes races, including the $3 million All American Futurity and the $1 million All American Derby. The drug can improve breathing but also is known to build muscle.

It marked the first time carmoterol was detected in samples taken from horses racing in New Mexico. Commission officials said it also has been found recently by regulators in California and Texas.

The violations were linked to two trainers, Toby Keeton and Heath Taylor. The suspensions mean they will be barred from racing in North America pending further disciplinary proceedings. Keeton did not return phone messages, and Taylor said he had yet to see the formal notice.

The horses go on a list that will prevent them from being run in any licensed jurisdiction in North America until the adjudication process is finalized.

Keeton already was suspended in Texas, after the racing commission there reported positive tests of carmoterol in some horses he raced at Lone Star Park last September.

Noting that the trainers operated out of other states and have participated in races throughout the country, New Mexico Racing Commission Chairman Billy Smith expressed concerns that the latest positive test results could ripple throughout the horse racing industry.

“A lot of people are getting hurt over this. It changes pedigrees. There are so many things it changes,” Smith said. “We’re going to lose some owners, we’re going to lose some trainers and participants. So it’s definitely going to hurt. It is going to take time for this to heal over.”

New Mexico’s horse racing industry was rocked in 2012 by doping allegations uncovered by a New York Times investigation. Expanded testing and other regulations followed, with the commission now touting its aggressive program for ferreting out cheaters with testing done both immediately after races and when the horses are out of competition. The sanctions can be steep, with numerous violations leading to suspensions that can last decades.

Commission officials said Wednesday that the use of illicit drugs appears to have fallen even more over the last several years, dropping from 3.5% of samples resulting in violations in 2017 to just over one-half of a percent last year.

Trejo said the challenge is developing standards for emerging drugs that might boost a horse’s performance.

“There’s thousands and thousands and thousands of drugs in this world,” he said. “And trying to find that needle in the haystack is very difficult.”