Trainer Jesus Esquivel has had two HIWU albuterol charges withdrawn after the regulator accepted evidence that the medication was prescribed for inhaled bronchodilator use in Summonyourcourage and Geno’s Myth.
The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit case centred on out-of-competition hair samples collected at Trackside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 17 and July 9, 2025.
Both samples returned adverse analytical findings for albuterol, a beta-2 agonist treated as a banned substance unless it falls inside a narrow therapeutic exception.
Why HIWU dropped the case
According to the HIWU final decision, Esquivel produced evidence before a hearing that Dr Richard Costelle had prescribed and dispensed albuterol for both horses in May 2025 after endoscopic evaluations for breathing issues.
The case had advanced because no prescriptions were in the HISA portal when the findings were reported, and investigators found three boxes of albuterol ampules without Kentucky-compliant labels during barn searches in July 2025.
HIWU said follow-up interviews corroborated the prescription evidence, with no indication the drug was used for anything other than inhalation. The ampules were designed for nebulisation and Esquivel had a nebuliser in the barn.
HIWU filed its notice of withdrawal on June 18, 2026, with the June 25 decision confirming that the charges against Esquivel had been withdrawn.
