Fairmount trainer gets 10-year suspension for possessing illegal electrical devices

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has issued a 10-year suspension to a Midwest-based trainer after he acknowledged the possession of two electrical devices that could be used to stimulate horses, according to a ruling posted on HISA’s website.

Isidro Castro, who has 22 lifetime wins from 333 starts since taking out his trainer’s license in 2020, “admitted responsibility” to possessing the devices during a hearing with stewards at Fairmount Park in Collinsville, Ill., on Sept. 3, according to the ruling.

Investigators with the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit, the enforcement arm for HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control program, found the electrical devices when they searched Castro’s barn and vehicle at Fairmount on Aug. 19. Castro initially denied knowing about the devices, but later told the investigators that he found the devices on the ground and put them in his trunk.

The term “electrical devices” generally refers to hand-made devices that deliver mild electrical shocks to horses during training or racing. They are strictly banned under HISA’s rules.

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