Arbitrator issues two-year ban to Reed Saldana for diisopropylamine positive

Reed Saldana, a trainer based in Southern California, has been handed a two-year ban and a $25,000 fine by an arbitrator hearing his appeal of a positive for the banned drug diisopropylamine, according to a final ruling posted to the website of the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit.

The arbitrator, Jeffrey G. Benz, issued the ruling Dec. 4 after conducting a hearing on Nov. 1. Under the ruling, Saldana will be banned until Aug. 5, 2025. Benz also ordered Saldana to pay $12,000 of the costs of the arbitration.

Saldana was issued a provisional ban on July 6, 2023, after a horse he trained, Ice Queen, tested positive for diisopropylamine after finishing third in a race on June 16 at Santa Anita. He initially waived his right to have a B sample tested, but after HIWU changed its rules allowing trainers to resubmit those requests in pending cases, his provisional suspension was lifted for 31 days before being reinstated when the split-sample test confirmed the finding.

In the ruling, the arbitrator rejected several arguments made by Saldana, who appeared at the hearing without counsel, including that the horse’s sample was contaminated by sampling personnel. Benz similarly rejected an argument from Saldana that HIWU had misclassified diisopropylamine.

Diisopropylamine is known to have a vasodilator affect, and it has been the subject of several studies in horses, including one completed earlier this year. Vasodilators enlarge blood vessels. The substance is banned in most major racing jurisdictions.

Two other Southern California trainers, Lorenzo Ruiz and Milton Pineda, have pending violations for multiple diisopropylamine positives.

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