One of the trainers implicated in the “Fair Hill Five” betting scandal has received a provisional suspension after two horses under his care tested positive for a prohibited substance following races on Aug. 9.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority announced Tuesday that trainer Angel Quiroz has been provisionally suspended after disclosure that two horses—Scootaloo and Tepeyac—tested positive for albuterol in post-race testing.
“Trainer Angel Quiroz has been served with a Provisional Suspension of his HISA registration effective as of September 1, 2026, while charges against him remain pending,” a HISA spokesperson stated.
Quiroz faces charges for violating two HISA regulations: “Compromising the welfare of Covered Horses for competitive or commercial gain” and “administration of Controlled Medication outside the context of a valid Veterinarian-client patient relationship,” according to the agency’s rulings portal.
Scootaloo finished fourth in the third race on Aug. 9 at Saratoga Race Course. The 5-year-old mare tested positive from a sample collected at Saratoga the following day, according to HISA’s suspension notice. Tepeyac, who won at Monmouth Park on Aug. 9, tested positive from a sample taken Aug. 13 at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland, where all five horses involved in the Aug. 9 races had posted workouts in preparation for that day.
HISA and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit previously announced that a third horse in Quiroz’s barn, Bonita Rough—who was not among those racing on Aug. 9—also tested positive for albuterol in late July.
The HIWU did not list any pending violations for the other three horses identified as part of the potential betting coup. The Great Amira, trained by Quiroz, won at Monmouth Park, while M Bs Melanie Cares and Classic Rock won that day at Saratoga for trainer and owner Ernesto Ochoa. Thoroughbred Daily News reported that Quiroz stated he previously trained both of those horses before they were sold to Ochoa.
Following the races, reports emerged that a series of winning bets had been placed with British bookmakers on the Aug. 9 races, resulting in those betting establishments absorbing hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.
The results on Aug. 9 and the surprisingly modest payouts on multi-race wagers sparked online speculation among handicappers and racing media regarding irregularities. All horses involved had returned from extended layoffs ranging from four to nine months, had previously been stabled at Gulfstream Park in Florida before their most recent workouts at Fair Hill, and possessed limited recent racing credentials that suggested they would produce the impressive victories that four of the horses ultimately achieved.
Multiple racing authorities are conducting investigations into the incident. Following widespread speculation about the Aug. 9 results at Saratoga, the New York Racing Association referred the matter to HISA and HIWU—agencies focused on horse and racetrack safety as well as drug enforcement—and the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau, an investigative body that monitors race fixing and other integrity issues in racing.
