HISA issued a two-year suspension to trainer Angel Sanchez-Pinero after his horse tested positive for Albuterol, highlighting a week of significant anti-doping enforcement actions across the racing industry.
Sanchez-Pinero received the substantial penalty along with a $10,000 fine after his trainee Gone Boy tested positive for the bronchodilator Albuterol (Salbutamol) following a win at Aqueduct on April 19. Albuterol is classified as a banned substance under current regulations.
The ruling came through an arbitrator and took effect November 25. No detailed written description of the ruling is currently available on the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit’s (HIWU) website.
This marks Sanchez-Pinero’s fourth ruling since the implementation of HISA‘s anti-doping and medication control program. His previous violations include a $500 fine in January 2024 for a glycopyrrolate positive (a class C controlled substance) and another $500 fine in August 2024 for applying Vick’s VapoRub, which contains camphor, to a horse’s nostrils before racing.
In July 2025, he received a 30-day suspension for a post-race phenylbutazone positive. The trainer currently has eight additional medication violation cases pending resolution.
Sanchez-Pinero has trained intermittently since 2003, according to Equibase records. His career includes 37 wins and over $1.1 million in earnings.
Several other trainers faced penalties in the latest round of enforcement actions:
Keri Brion received a written reprimand after admitting to a veterinarian’s list medication violation involving Omeprazole (Gastrogard) in a sample taken from Like a Dream on October 25.
Jose R. Gonzalez Jr. was handed a 15-day suspension beginning November 26, disqualification of his horse’s race results, and a $1,000 fine after Cannabidiol (CBD) was detected in a sample from Charlee Mae following a win at Prairie Meadows on July 26.
Fenneka Tracey Bentley received a 7-day suspension starting November 25, disqualification of race results, and a $1,000 fine after admitting to a Betamethasone positive in a sample from Tiger Paw, who finished seventh at Laurel Park on October 12.
Robert Cline faced disqualification of race results and a $500 fine after admitting to a Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) violation in a sample from Pittsburgh, who won at Thistledown on October 8.
HIWU also reported two pending violations: Anthony Margotta for an Acepromazine positive in a sample from Stop Being Greedy on October 24, and Michael Catalano for a Phenylbutazone positive in a sample from Mr Sandman on the same date.
