Denny Velazquez could face five-year ban for possession of buzzer

Denny Velazquez, a leading rider at Canterbury Park in Minnesota, has been issued a one-year suspension and a $10,000 fine for possessing an electrical device that can be used to shock horses, the maximum penalty that stewards could levy under Minnesota racing rules.

The penalty included a recommendation by the stewards to refer the matter to the Minnesota Racing Commission to suspend the rider’s license for five years and to increase the fine to $50,000. A search of Velazquez’s car turned up the electrical device, commonly called a “buzzer,” along with a loaded firearm, for which Velazquez did not have a license.

In issuing the recommendation for additional penalties, the stewards said that the possession of both the buzzer and the firearm “call into question the honesty and integrity of horse racing and the safety, health, and welfare of the participants and the general public at Canterbury Park.”

Velazquez, 26, last rode July 16. He has 47 wins from 265 mounts this year. He was the third-leading rider at Canterbury at the time that he was issued a summary suspension on July 22. The ruling states that the search of Velazquez’s vehicle occurred on July 20.

Buzzers have been used in racing and training to administer mild shocks to horses to allegedly get them to run faster. Possession of such devices is illegal at every racetrack in the country.

The stewards ruling said that Velazquez appeared at a hearing on Aug. 4. If the commission approves the recommendation, Velazquez would not be eligible for a license until July 2025.