Angel Sanchez Pinero suspended by HISA for 'prohibited practices'

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority issued a provisional suspension to trainer Angel Sanchez Pinero on Thursday morning, citing violations of the authority’s “prohibited practices,” according to a notice of violation posted to HISA’s website later in the day.

Two horses trained by Sanchez Pinero on the Thursday card at Aqueduct were scratched in the morning, while another horse entered for Saturday has also been scratched.

The notice of violation does not include a horse name, but it cites three rules under which the trainer has been charged. The first deals with forms of abuse and neglect. The second involves record keeping for medications and surgeries. The third involves failures to cooperate and respond truthfully in investigations.

A representative for Sanchez Pinero, Devon Shaw, said in an e-mailed response to a request for comment that Sanchez Pinero “will decline to comment until after any provisional suspension hearing happens.”

Licensees are able to appeal the decision to issue a provisional suspension in a hearing that can precede the formal adjudication of the charges.

Although Sanchez Pinero started horses intermittently from 2003 to 2012, his starts skyrocketed in 2024, when he won 16 races from 221 starts after going 4 for 100 in 2023. So far this year, he has won three races from 43 starts.

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