Eduardo Morales Handed Immediate Lifetime Ban By Louisiana Racing Commission
Eduardo L. Morales has been handed an immediate lifetime ban by the Louisiana State Racing Commission after state police found unauthorised contraband at his Delta Downs barn in Vinton, Louisiana.
The sanction followed the commission’s June 29 meeting and was reported on June 30, making it the clearest fresh integrity story for racing audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.
Morales is a multiple graded-stakes winning Quarter Horse trainer, and the punishment is significant both for its severity and for the number of horses now caught up in the regulatory process.
Two More Trainers Sanctioned In Same Commission Action
According to Paulick Report’s account of the Louisiana commission statement, the case centred on hypodermic needles, syringes and injectable medications discovered at Morales’ barn.
The same commission action also sanctioned Esau Hernandez and Alex P. Clark after separate diisopropylamine positives.
Hernandez received a two-year suspension followed by probation, while two horses were disqualified. Clark was given a six-month suspension, probation, a $1,000 fine and a purse disqualification.
The commission said 102 horses were under the three trainers’ care at the time.
Those horses must now be moved to licensed Louisiana trainers, work in front of an LSRC veterinarian and return clear blood and urine tests before they can compete again.
