Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Equine Doping topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Trainer Alvaro Torres barred five years after cocaine found in post‑race test; commission ups fine to $5,000
Summary
The Nevada Gaming Commission on April 24 approved additional penalties against trainer Alvaro Torres after a state steward found cocaine in a post‑race urine test for a horse he trained. The commission increased the fine and imposed a five‑year racing ban.
The Nevada Gaming Commission on April 24 approved a recommendation from the State Steward and the Board of Stewards to escalate penalties against trainer Alvaro Torres after a post‑race test found cocaine and a metabolite in a sampled horse.
The state steward had already assessed a $1,000 fine and suspended Torres’s Nevada racing license for 180 days, the maximum penalty the steward may impose under Regulation 30. The Board of Stewards referred the case to the commission to consider additional penalties. After deliberation, the commission added $4,000 to the fine — bringing the total to $5,000 — revoked Torres’s Nevada trainers license and barred him from racing at tracks under Nevada jurisdiction for five years.
The steward’s ruling found that the horse in question had finished first in a race at a county fair meet and that post‑race testing detected cocaine and a major urinary metabolite. The Board and enforcement staff emphasized the severity of administering a prohibited stimulant to a racehorse — the Association of Racing Commissioners International regards cocaine as a category A offense, for which recommended penalties can include multi‑year suspensions and substantial fines.
Enforcement agents testified they could not identify who actually administered the substance to the horse, and investigators said samples are typically received and tested two to three weeks after the race, complicating identification of the person who applied the substance. The commission’s action bars Torres from tracks under the board’s jurisdiction; staff said other racing jurisdictions and associations typically honor Nevada suspensions.
Commissioners emphasized that doping violations present serious risks to animal welfare, jockey safety and racing integrity. The action was approved by roll call; the order includes the $5,000 fine and the five‑year racing ban with immediate effect.
The enforcement division will circulate the final order to other racing jurisdictions and will continue to review testing procedures and timeliness for post‑race samples.
