Maria Borell, who trained Runhappy, pleads not guilty to 2016 animal cruelty charges

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Maria Borell, the former trainer of champion sprinter Runhappy, has entered a not guilty plea to 43 charges of animal cruelty that were initially filed against her in 2016, according to her attorney.

Russell Baldani, the attorney, said that the plea was entered earlier this month in Mercer County District Court. The charges were based on dozens of neglected horses that were found at a farm leased by her father, Charles Borell, who was also charged in the case. Charles Borell was put on two years’ probation after he reached an agreement with prosecutors in which he accepted nine of the charges without admitting guilt.

Baldani said that Maria Borell initially contacted him two years ago seeking representation because she was dissatisfied with the efforts of her lawyer, but that the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic led to delays in seeking an adjudication of the case.

“We don’t think that she is guilty of these charges, and we don’t think she will be convicted of these charges,” Baldani said. “She wasn’t even living in Kentucky at the time these charges came out.”

Borell was a small-time trainer based at The Thoroughbred Center outside of Lexington when owner James McIngvale gave her responsibility for a small string of his horses. Runhappy became an instant sensation after dramatically winning his first start late in his 2-year-old year and eventually won both the King’s Bishop Stakes at Saratoga and the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland.

Runhappy was removed from Borell’s care the day after the Breeders’ Cup win. McIngvale cited disagreements between Borell and his racing manager over the training of the horse.

Borell has been living in upstate New York since 2015.

When asked why Borell decided to seek a resolution to the charges after six years, Baldani said that she was interested in “having this cloud removed from over her head indefinitely.”

“If you know Maria, then you know that there is no way she would do what she has been charged with,” Baldani said. “She’s maintained from the start that she’s not guilty, and she wants to be able to move forward.”

Baldani said that a pre-trial conference is scheduled for September, but he said he expected to have “discussions with the prosecutor about how to proceed with this case” prior to that date.