Bonnie Lucas, a trainer based at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Penn., has accepted a lifetime ban from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority after admitting to knowingly violating regulations pertaining to injections of corticosteroids, according to a record posted on Wednesday morning on HISA’s website.
Lucas, who has been training for four years, was accused of allowing a veterinarian, Dr. Allen Bonnell, of administering intra-articular injections of corticosteroids to dozens of her horses over an 18-month period in 2023 and 2024 while knowing that he intended to falsify records about the treatments. Lucas then raced or worked those horses within the stand-down periods mandated for intra-articular injections of the drugs, which are long-lasting anti-inflammatory and pain-killing substances.
The lifetime ban is by far the most significant penalty handed down so far as a result of an investigation into Dr. Bonnell’s practice by the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission, HISA, and the Horseracing Integrity and Wagering Unit. The investigation began in late October when a PSHRC investigator witnessed Bonnell inject a horse on the Penn National backstretch.
Bonnell was summarily suspended in early November. Investigators have since identified 13 trainers whose horses received intra-articular injections of corticosteroids and were then raced or worked within the stand-down periods.
So far, seven Penn National trainers have received 30-day suspensions, while an eighth, Francisco Ferreira, received a 60-day suspension, all under violations of the corticosteroid rules. Those suspensions were handed down by HIWU, which enforces HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control program.
Lucas has not started a horse since Jan. 8. Lifetime, she had a record of 106 wins from 879 starts, with total purse earnings of $2.7 million.
An appendix attached to the agreement details 43 instances in which horses trained by Lucas either worked or raced with the stand-periods. Any of the horses who raced in violation of the rule have been disqualified from their races. The records show that nearly all of the horses finished out-of-the-money.
The agreement includes a clause that says Lucas “waives any hearing or appeal on this matter and specifically waives her right to present testimony, evidence, and argument to the board.”
HISA began overseeing drug-testing and enforcement in most major racing jurisdictions in mid-2023. Following the lead of state racing commissions, HISA adopted rules that put in place strict regulations on corticosteroids and requires veterinarians to submit records on all treatments given to horses.
According to regulatory veterinarians and HISA, corticosteroids can mask pain and interfere with pre-race or pre-workout inspections for soundness. Persistent use of the drugs can also lead to deleterious effects on joint structures, according to scientific studies.
According to HISA, 100 “unique” horses were administered the injections by Bonnell and raced or breezed within the stand-down periods, for a total of at least 200 documented injections in violation of the rules. Of those horses, 30 percent never raced again, HISA alleged, and 10 percent were observed as being lame post-race. Three of those horses were euthanized as a “direct result of injuries sustained in those races,” HISA said.
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