New Mexico Trainer Chavez Suspended Two Years, Fined

New Mexico trainer Arturo Chavez has been suspended for two years and fined $25,000 after a horse in his care tested positive for an injectable version of albuterol discovered during an out-of-competition test at The Downs at Albuquerque. This medication violation is the fourth for Chavez since March 2024, but his first with a banned substance. He has been a licensed trainer since 2009. On Dec. 9 of last year, the 5-year-old mare She Mysterious tested positive for the injectable version of Salbutamol, a brand name for albuterol, which is used to treat bronchospasms and bronchoconstriction. Albuterol administered by any route other than inhalation is considered a banned substance by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit because albuterol has been shown to increase muscle mass similar to anabolic steroids. Standard albuterol inhalers do not produce this muscle growth. Chavez was notified of the adverse analytical finding Jan. 7, and he subsequently requested that the B sample be analyzed. The B sample confirmed the presence of albuterol and Chavez did not provide any explanation for the presence of the medication, according to a HIWU report. The trainer had until March 17 to accept the findings and the consequences or indicate he intended to dispute the findings and seek to mitigate the penalties through arbitration. He also had the option to dispute the findings and challenge all the proposed penalties. Chavez never responded to HIWU regarding his options and therefore waived his right to a hearing. He was subsequently suspended and fined Aug. 24, and cannot be associated with Thoroughbred racing or training in any of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's jurisdictions for two years from Aug. 25 through Aug. 24, 2028. During the adjudication of his albuterol positive, Chavez had another positive test result for the controlled medication diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat the pain and inflammation from osteoarthritis. The 4-year-old filly Sophisticat tested positive for diclofenac in a postrace sample taken after a March 1 claiming race at Sunland Park. Chavez did not request the B sample from Sophisticat be analyzed, but also again did not respond to HIWU's requests to identify whether he would accept or dispute the findings. For this positive result, he was fined $500 and assessed 1.5 penalty points. The suspension related to She Mysterious' albuterol positive is Chavez' second suspension since March 2024. He was suspended March 13, 2024, for seven days, fined $1,000, and assessed two penalty points for two positive test results for the metabolites of capsaicin, an active ingredient in a topical patch that is used an as analgesic, particularly for neuropathic pain. Presence of the metabolites were found in two postrace samples taken at Sunland Park in March 2024 in Jr's Confidence and Bye Bye Brooky, which were treated as one violation by HIWU.