'Fair Hill Five' trainer Quiroz issued provisional suspension
:quality(75))
Angel Quiroz, one of the trainers involved in the so-called “Fair Hill Five” scandal, has been issued a provisional suspension by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority after three of his horses tested positive for the banned substance albuterol.
The suspension went into effect at noon Tuesday and shall remain in effect until HISA holds a hearing on the positive findings. Each violation subjects Quiroz to a possible two-year suspension and a $25,000 fine.
In its ruling, issued Tuesday, HISA alleged that Quiroz violated rule 2215, which states in part that no covered person under HISA “shall compromise the welfare of a covered horse for competitive or commercial reasons,” and rule 2221, which states that “no controlled medication shall be prescribed, dispensed, or administered” outside a valid veterinarian-client patient relationship.
Albuterol is a short-acting bronchodilator designed to relieve bronchospasms and improves airflow. Administered in any form other than inhalation – like through a nebulizer – is deemed an anti-doping rule violation, according to HISA.
Two of the horses who tested positive raced on Aug. 9 – one at Monmouth and one at Saratoga – on a day when five horses who were based at Fair Hill, a training center in Maryland, competed in races at Monmouth Park and Saratoga. Four of those horses won and a fifth finished fourth. It was later reported that bookmakers in England had to pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars in bets related to those results.
Three of those horses ran under Qurioz’s name, while two others raced under trainer Ernesto Ochoa.
Among the three Quiroz-trained horses who tested positive for albuterol in their blood were Tepeyac, who won a $16,000 claiming race at Monmouth Park on Aug. 9, and Scootaloo, who finished fourth in a $20,000 claiming race at Saratoga the same day. The third horse, Bonita Rough, tested positive for albuterol following a July 10 workout at Fair Hill that was designed to get her off the veterinarian’s list, as she has not raced since June 2025. Quiroz is facing further penalties for working Bonita Rough on July 29 while the horse was on the vet’s list.
Tepeyac went off at 7-2 and returned $9.60. The horse's win came one race after Quiroz won Monmouth’s third race with The Great Amira, who returned $37.20 as the second-longest price on the board at 17-1 after winning by nine lengths. The $1 daily double payout on those winners was a far-too-short $12.80.
According to HISA, on Aug. 13, an out-of-competition test was conducted on Tepeyac that revealed the presence of albuterol in the blood. On Aug. 10, an out-of-competition test taken on Scootaloo detected albuterol in the blood.
There was no ruling of a positive test on The Great Amira.
At Saratoga, Scootaloo finished fourth in a $20,000 claiming race after tossing her head and losing her action soon after the start.
The horses Classic Rock and M B’s Melanies Cares won races at Saratoga on Aug. 9 and were listed as being trained by Ochoa. Those horses have been linked to having been trained by Quiroz during their preparation for those Aug. 9 races. Neither horse was mentioned in the ruling.
According to the HISA ruling, Quiroz told investigators that a veterinarian had prescribed albuterol for a different horse but informed Quiroz he could use it on Bonita Rough if needed.
“However, you did not include any statement or other information from the veterinarian in support of your alleged facts,” the ruling stated.
Additionally, HISA’s ruling stated there are no records in the HISA portal reflecting the dispensation, prescription, or treatment of albuterol to any of the three horses in question.
Attorney Brad Beilly, who represents Quiroz, issued the following statement via email: “Mr. Quiroz will be requesting a hearing to dissolve HISA’s provisional suspension. When all the facts are presented, we will establish that Mr. Quiroz did not compromise the welfare of Bonita Rough, Scootaloo, and Tepeyac. We will also establish that there was a valid veterinarian-client relationship between Bonita Rough, Scootaloo, and Tepeyac and the veterinarian that authorized administration of nebulized albuterol to these horses.”
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.