With 21 horses euthanized, Taylor summarily suspended by Albuquerque stewards

Prominent Quarter Horse trainer Heath Taylor was summarily suspended by the stewards at The Downs at Albuquerque on Friday because of an outbreak of equine infectious anemia in his stable in recent weeks that has resulted in the death of 21 horses in his stable in California and Texas.

Taylor, in a text message, said he plans to fight the suspension in court and was speaking with lawyers on Friday afternoon to discuss a course of action.

“I maintain 110 percent innocence,” he wrote. “I am the one at loss and now penalized.”

The stewards in Albuquerque – Larry Fontenot Jr., Reese Howard, and Don Rausch – have scheduled a hearing on Wednesday morning to discuss the suspension. Entries are scheduled to be taken on Wednesday for the lucrative AQHA Challenge Championship races in Albuquerque on Oct. 26.

In their decision, the stewards cited several rules, notably one that states if “a licensee’s action constitute an immediate danger to the public health, safety or welfare, the Stewards may summarily suspend the license pending a hearing.”

Such a decision requires the stewards to conduct a hearing within 10 days.

The stewards also cited rules related to the protection of horses and one stating that trainers are the absolute insurer of horses in their care.

Commenting on the ruling, Izzy Trejo, the executive director of the New Mexico State Racing Commission, said on Friday the stewards issued the ruling out of concern of equine health.

“They feel the racing stable that is headed by that trainer is a danger to the health, safety, and integrity of racing in New Mexico,” Trejo said. “We’re not making any allegations as to how and why. This is very unusual. It’s got the attention of a lot of different authorities.

“We’re protecting the horse population in New Mexico. We feel we have a duty to do that.”

The decision prevents Taylor from entering or starting horses. Taylor has 14 horses entered between Friday evening and next Thursday at Evangeline Downs, Lone Star Park, and Los Alamitos.

Since Sept. 24, 12 horses trained by Taylor have been euthanized at Los Alamitos after testing positive for EIA, according to California Horse Racing Board records. Taylor has had eight horses euthanized that were based in Texas, including leading older horse Flash Bak. One horse in Taylor's care in New Mexico died of the disease, according to a racing official.

A group of six horses trained by Taylor at Los Alamitos recently tested negative, but have been placed in quarantine because they were in “close contact” with affected horses in other states, the California board said in a statement earlier this week.

All of the horses euthanized at Lone Star Park and Los Alamitos were based at the The Downs at Albuquerque as recently as early September.

The horses in California were ordered to be euthanized by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, following state and federal guidelines, according to the California board.

Aside from Flash Bak, the list of horses euthanized includes The Marksman V, winner of the $832,707 Ruidoso Derby in New Mexico and fourth-place finisher in the $1.4 million All American Derby on Sept. 2.

A viral disease, EIA is a rare disorder that is potentially fatal. Screening for the ailment is handled through Coggins tests, a type of blood test. Horses must have a negative Coggins test to gain admittance to racetrack backstretches or be transported across state lines in an effort to avoid the spread of EIA.

Taylor, 54, is one of the nation’s leading Quarter Horse trainers. Through Thursday, he ranked fourth in the nation in earnings this year, with $3,273,249.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.