Blacker begins 90-day suspension

ARCADIA, Calif. – Southern California trainer Dan Blacker began a 90-day suspension on Monday for 527 incidents in which horses in his care did not undergo pre-workout veterinary exams for an 18-month period ending in July 2023.

During the suspension, Blacker’s stable will be under the direction of his assistant, Juan Landeros.

The suspension runs through May 25 and includes a $15,000 fine, one of the more severe penalties issued by California stewards in recent years.

The penalties stem from an investigation conducted by California Horse Racing Board investigators last summer.

Blacker recently appealed the suspension to racing board chairman Greg Ferraro, an action that was denied, officials said. Blacker held discussions with racing officials in recent days about whether Landeros could take over the stable, or whether the barn would be dispersed to other trainers.

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“Ultimately, it’s better for the horses,” Blacker said of the plan to leave the horses with Landeros.

Racing board investigators conducted an audit of Blacker’s pre-workout veterinary records after the unraced 2-year-old filly Animae sustained a fatal injury following a workout on July 1, 2023, at Santa Anita.

The audit found that of 789 works by Blacker-trained horses from Jan. 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023, pre-race veterinary reports were not filed for 527 works.

Horses are required to be examined by a trainer’s veterinarian within 72 horses of a workout to determine whether the runner is fit for such exercise.

The racing board implemented a series of rulings regarding workouts and pre-race examinations in recent years following a series of fatalities at Santa Anita in early 2019 that drew international attention.

In a related ruling, trainer Rolando Quinonez was fined $1,000 by Santa Anita stewards on Sunday after 28 occasions in which horses in his care did not have pre-race veterinary examinations from Jan. 1, 2022, to Aug. 20, 2023. Quinonez’s stable had 238 workouts in that span, the ruling stated.

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