Commission upholds revocation, $100,000 fine and 15‑year ban for trainer after four horses test positive

The Nevada Gaming Commission on Nov. 20 sustained disciplinary action against trainer Ricardo Castillo after four horses under his care tested positive for methamphetamine and two also tested positive for tramadol following races at the Elko County Fairgrounds.

The Board of Stewards initially disqualified the horses and recommended a fine and suspension. On appeal the Gaming Control Board modified the stewards’ ruling and imposed more severe discipline; the commission sustained that decision. Commissioners cited the seriousness of administering illegal narcotics to multiple horses, the danger to riders and animals, and the need for deterrence.

The commission’s findings relied on the drug‑test chain of custody and laboratory results presented in the record. Counsel for the gaming control board noted the tests showed methamphetamine (with amphetamine as a breakdown product) in four horses and additional tramadol findings in two. The board and the commission considered ARCI (Association of Racing Commissioners International) guidance, earlier precedent (the Torres matter) and the particular facts of multiple doped horses over a single meet.

Ricardo Castillo told the commission he accepted responsibility as the trainer, said all four horses are now healthy, and asked for mercy. "It is my responsibility to ensure my horses are cared for and healthy, and I do take full responsibility," he said in a brief statement.

The commission’s action revokes Castillo’s Nevada horse‑racing trainer license, imposes a $100,000 fine and bars him from racing under the state’s jurisdiction for 15 years. Commissioners discussed the fine’s size and the length of the bar in light of precedent and the magnitude of the violations; the motion to sustain the board’s decision carried on an aye vote.