A groom based at Del Mar during the summer has been suspended 10 years for possession of an electrical device in the stable area, according to a ruling published Sunday by Santa Anita stewards Grant Baker, Luis Jauregui, and Kim Sawyer.
Victor Donis was found in possession of the illegal device on July 25, according to the ruling. The 46-year-old groom, who worked for trainer Dean Pederson, found the device in the stable area “and decided to keep it,” according to a complaint filed by California Horse Racing Board investigators on Aug. 30.
Donis “did not know what the item was,” the complaint read. Donis’s suspension begins Nov. 1 and continues until Nov. 1, 2035, the ruling stated.
Electrical devices, which are prohibited, are hand-made devices designed to deliver electrical shocks to horses in races or during training.