HISA suspends pair of vets for substance violations
Two Mid-Atlantic veterinarians have been provisionally suspended by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority for possessing and attempting to distribute products that contain banned substances, according to rulings posted on the HISA website.
Dr. Nicholas Meittinis and Dr. Adam Lockard, principal partners of The Maryland Veterinary Group, had their licenses provisionally suspended as of noon Monday and until such time as they can be granted a hearing. Among the rules HISA cites that Meittinis and Lockard violated was one that prohibits using “physical or veterinary procedures to mask the effects of signs of injury so as to allow training or racing to the detriment of a horses health and welfare.”
The rulings did not name any trainers who are suspected of using these banned substances on their horses. Such rulings would be made by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit, the agency charged with enforcing the rules of HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control program.
The Paulick Report was first to report the suspensions.
According to the posted HISA ruling, on Sept. 23, 2025, HIWU found and seized multiple products that contained banned substances from the MVG’s offices at Laurel Park and Delaware Park, some that were several years past their expiration dates. The products seized include Carolina Gold (which contains the banned substance Gamma Aminobutyric Acid), AMP 20% (banned substance: Adenosine 5-monophosphate), Osphos (banned substance: Bisphosphonate), Albuterol tablets, and Isoxsuprine.
According to HISA, Albuterol may only be administered via an inhaler. Other products found contained Testosterone and Stanozolol.
On the walls of the Delaware Park office were a recipe for “Steroid Paint,” which includes banned substances such as Pitcher Plant, also known as Sarapin; Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid; and dimethyl sulfoxide.
HIWU also conducted a follow-up search of MVG offices located at Laurel Park, where jugs of the Tropical Pitcher Plant and Steroid Paint were found. In its ruling, HISA states it has reason to believe that the Meittinis and Lockard “have dispensed Steroid Paint containing three banned substances to trainers for use on their horses since 2023.”
Meittinis is president of the North American Association of Racetrack Veterinarians, while Lockard is a member of the Racing Committee of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
Meittinis has been working at Pimlico and Laurel since 1990. In 1995, he created the Maryland Veterinary Group, and his practice has expanded to include coverage at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland as well as Colonial Downs in Virginia.
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