A veterinarian accused of conspiring with trainers at Hollywood Gaming at Penn National Race Course to administer injections at prohibited times accepted a lifetime suspension May 7 from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.
In a resolution posted to the HISA website Thursday, Dr. Allen Bonnell, the vet in question, admitted to his role of conspiring with trainers to administer intra-articular injections to the joints of covered horses within stand-down periods. HISA said these injections during prohibited times were in direct violation of its Anti-Doping and Medication Control and Racetrack Safety programs; rules that are in place to safeguard horses and ensure fair competition.
The order posted Thursday says the HISA board and Bonnell agreed that his registration as a covered person with HISA is "permanently suspended for the remainder of his lifetime." This sanction means Bonnell will be prohibited from working with covered horses at any track or training facility for the rest of his life.
The agreed order notes that the sanctions address the charges brought by HISA. Bonnell could be subject to additional sanctions from HISA's enforcement arm, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit.
In February HISA said a coordinated investigation led by the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission revealed that Bonnell, 81 years old at the time, and 13 trainers based at Penn National organized an effort to repeatedly inject horses at what they knew were prohibited times. A HISA release and representative said the injections during stand-down times ahead of races or training sessions total more than 200 instances from May 2023 to November 2024.
In February HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said the investigation found that three of the horses that received injections during these prohibited times died in the race that followed while four others died in a race or training session soon after.
"This egregious breach of integrity and intentional undermining of equine welfare is a stark reminder of why rigorous oversight and enforcement are critical to the future of horse racing," Lazarus said then. "The health and safety of horses and jockeys are paramount, and those who deliberately put them at risk will be held accountable."
In February Bonnell said that while he's not especially fond of administering injections, he was doing his job and helping horses with administrations of hyaluronic acid and flumethasone. He said then that he does not believe his actions contributed to horses breaking down.
A detailed report from the PSHRC suggests Bonnell knew the rules but ignored them as trainers looking to circumvent those standards called upon his services. That report says that in an Oct. 24, 2024, interview with PSHRC investigators, Bonnell said trainers would request his services for intra-articular injections because they knew he would not report the injections as required, allowing the trainers to run their horses during the time the horses should have been placed on the veterinarians' list.
