Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit suspends Pineda, Saldana

Los Alamitos-based trainers Milton Pineda and Reed Saldana have been provisionally suspended by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit after five positives for a banned medication were found in their runners at Santa Anita last month, the regulatory body announced on its website Friday.

Post-race tests revealed positives for diisopropylamine, which is considered a therapeutic substance “that could have diuretic effects and assist in preventing” bleeding, according to a ruling issued by the racing authority of the United Arab Emirates in 2021.

Pineda was cited for positives found in Belle Renella following wins in a $20,000 claimer on June 2 and in a starter allowance on June 18; Flatterwithjewels, who was second in a $12,500 claimer on June 9; and Big Splash, who won a $16,000 claimer on June 10.

Saldana’s positive was found in a post-race test taken from Ice Queen, who finished third in a starter allowance on June 16.

In a phone interview, Saldana argued that the positive was caused by administering Ice Queen an over-the-counter B-15 vitamin supplement with pangamic acid as an active ingredient. Diisopropylamine is “an active component of many formulations of pangamic acid,” according to a study published on the National Library of Medicine’s website.

“I’m not a chemist,” he said. “How am I supposed to know the compounds of all of this? It’s sold as pangamic acid. It’s not sold as diisopropylamine.

“I called the manufacturer, too. They said they’ve never had an issue in 20 years.”

Saldana feared that other California trainers could be ensnared for the same medication violation in coming days.

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“There’s going to be a lot of us that will be hit by it,” he said. “Everybody right now is stressed.”

Saldana said he was notified via email by HIWU officials that he has been suspended six months, through Jan. 4, 2024 for the positive despite the lack of a hearing to argue the case.

Saldana said he has spoken extensively to Pineda about their cases. Pineda speaks limited English.

Pineda has a 30-horse stable and said in a brief phone interview on Friday that he recently gained five horses from prominent California owner and breeder Nick Alexander.

“It surprised me,” Pineda said of the positive. “It made me sick.”

Saldana, who has a 23-horse stable, said he sought guidance from HIWU officials, but was rebuffed.

“It’s frustrating more than anything,” he said. “They can’t tell you anything. They have no answers for you.

“The problem is we get suspended right away. We don’t get a hearing.”

According to a HIWU spokesperson, trainers can request a provisional hearing conducted by a representative selected by a California-based arbitration company. Such hearings should take “a few weeks at most” to schedule, the spokesperson wrote in a text.

Saldana said HIWU’s rules following a positive are radically different from cases previously administered by the California Horse Racing Board. In cases with the state racing board, trainers were notified of a positive and given a hearing before a potential penalty was issued.

“You knew the steps,” Saldana said of the racing board’s rules.

HIWU “eliminated court and said, ‘Boom, you’re guilty regardless of what happened. There is no due process. This is very unconstitutional.

“I’m going to try to defend myself.”

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