A trainer linked to five horses in races this past weekend that are being investigated was charged Thursday with a violation involving a banned substance.
The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) charged trainer Angel Quiroz with a presence violation after a test on horse Bonita Rough revealed the presence of albuterol, a banned substance. The test was conducted July 10 at the Fair Hill Training facility in Maryland.
Quiroz was notified of the positive test, waived the opportunity to request additional testing and failed to provide a sufficient explanation, according to HIWU. Quiroz has the right to request a hearing before a neutral arbitrator.
A message left with Quiroz wasn't immediately returned.
Bonita Rough was not among Quiroz's horses that are being investigated by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) following Sunday races in New Jersey and New York.
Horses in those five races -- three at Saratoga Race Course in New York and two at Monmouth Park in New Jersey -- are at the center of an investigation that was triggered in part by unusual betting interest. Each of the five horses was coming off a long layoff and had worked out at Fair Hill ahead of Sunday's races. Four of the five horses won, despite entering as relatively long shots.
Quiroz was listed as the trainer of three of the horses in Sunday's races and told Thoroughbred Daily News this week that he had worked with two of the other winning horses. Bookmakers in the United States, United Kingdom and Latin America detected unusual betting interest on the horses, according to multiple industry sources.
HIWU said in a statement that the winning horses from Sunday's races were tested and that results for any additional horses trained by Quiroz will be disclosed in accordance with the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program rules.