OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though he has significantly fewer horses than he did a month ago, trainer Rudy Rodriguez was glad to be able to get some of them back on the work tab Wednesday morning at Belmont Park. On Tuesday, it was announced that a provisional suspension handed to Rodriguez by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority over allegations he endangered the welfare of horses in his care had been lifted. Though the wording of the ruling said the suspension ran “through Jan. 14,” Rodriguez said he was permitted to breeze horses Wednesday. During his suspension, which began Dec. 16, Rodriguez was able to be present at the barn but could only jog and gallop his horses. He was permitted to enter horses beginning Wednesday, when entries for Sunday’s Aqueduct card were taken, but Rodriguez said he expects his first runners to be next week. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Rodriguez said he is down to about 35 horses from the 55 to 60 he had before the suspension. “Right now, I’m just happy to be back,” Rodriguez said. “We [came] to an agreement. I try to respect all the rules that they put in. I’m not here to mistreat my horses. Anybody can come to the barn anytime, I never tell [HISA] not to come to the barn. I just try to respect the rules and I’m very happy with all the support my owners who stuck with me gave me.” Rodriguez said longtime owners Michael Imperio and Vincent Scuderi, along with new owners Dustin Pusatere and Courtney Irving, “have been very, very patient. Michale Imperio knows the game, Vincent Scuderi knows the game. They know I was in a bad position, and I’m just happy today they’re still with me.” HISA alleged that since Nov. 22, 2024, 15 horses under Rodriguez’s care had been placed on a veterinarian’s list. Three of those horsed died, and HISA mentioned a 16th horse, Heavyweight Champs, who suffered a fatal injury during the running of the seventh race on Nov. 14 at Aqueduct. HISA based its suspension partly on the fact that the horses who were placed on the vet’s list did not have a diagnostic or lameness evaluation record on the HISA portal. One of the stipulations to the agreement reached with HISA was that Rodriguez agreed to have an attending veterinarian conduct a comprehensive evaluation within 48 hours of any of his horses being placed on the veterinarian’s list and have a report filed by the veterinarian on the HISA portal in a timely manner. Also, Rodriguez agreed to comply with any veterinarian recommendations or suggested diagnostics in a timely manner. For all of 2026, Rodriguez must agree to give Dr. Donald Baker, a HISA vet, unrestricted and unfettered access to his barn and related training facilities. Lastly, Rodriguez had to make a $10,000 donation to a Thoroughbred aftercare organization. Though he’s glad to be back training, Rodriguez believes it will be hard to rebuild his stable to its former size. Rodriguez, who has won or shared 13 NYRA training titles since he went on his own in 2010, said one owner, Pusatere, bought eight yearlings last fall. Pusatere owns Talk to Me Jimmy, a New York-bred 3-year-old son of Modernist who won his maiden at second asking by 5 1/2 lengths on Nov. 9 “You need young horses to survive,” Rodriguez said. “It’s very, very difficult to continue claiming horses.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.