The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has issued a show-cause notice and is considering a provisional suspension for New York-based trainer Rudy Rodriguez, alleging multiple violations of its equine welfare rules. The notice, served Nov. 21 to Rodriguez and shared with his attorney, Clark Brewster, asserts that the trainer failed to provide required veterinary care and diagnostic follow-up for horses placed on the veterinarians' list. Several of these horses died.
The veterinarians' list designates horses as ineligible to run—typically due to lameness, illness, or other concerns—until a regulatory veterinarian approves their return following examination, often during training.
Specifically, the Authority claims Rodriguez violated HISA Rule 2215(a)(4) with 15 horses by failing to provide necessary veterinary care or diagnostic evaluations for horses placed on the veterinarians' list since November 2024. According to the Authority and their records, no diagnostic exams, imaging, or lameness evaluations were recorded into the HISA Portal.
Brewster said many of the horses listed by HISA are no longer in Rodriguez's care, having been claimed away, retired, or sent to farms months earlier. This leads Brewster to argue that HISA's request for records reflects a misunderstanding of which horses Rodriguez still oversees.
The three cited horses who died include Jemography, who failed two veterinarian's list workouts in the spring and summer 2024, before having a fatal injury during the eighth race at Aqueduct Racetrack Dec. 13, 2024; Secret Rules, placed on the list Dec. 14, 2024, and ordered to undergo diagnostic imaging after a failed Jan. 11, 2025, workout, died eight days later during morning training at Belmont Park; and Spooky Lady, added to the list following a June 1, 2025, injury in training, was "found dead in her stall" six days later.
Brewster disputes the description of Spooky Lady's death in the HISA document, saying she experienced a secondary injury after returning to her barn following treatment at a clinic.
"After she was returned to the stall that afternoon from the clinic, she laid down and when she got up, she further fractured, probably displaced the tibia," he said.
HISA also contends that other Rodriguez-trained horses remained on the vets' list for extended periods without mandated diagnostics, including instances in which regulatory veterinarians called for radiographs, neurological exams, or other evaluations that were not completed.
The show-cause notice comes one week after another Rodriguez trainee, Heavyweight Champs, suffered a catastrophic breakdown in the seventh race at Aqueduct Nov. 14, unseating Tarpaulin's jockey Dylan Davis when that trailing runner was also brought down in the incident. Heavyweight Champs was not one of the horses HISA referenced as needing a veterinary examination.
"That horse was perfectly sound," Brewster said, suggesting a bad step led to the horse's injury.
If violations are confirmed, Rodriguez could face a fine or suspension, in addition to a provisional suspension.
HISA requested corrective actions for Rodriguez, including: establishing that horses identified have received the necessary veterinary care, a commitment to having an attending veterinarian evaluate all horses placed on the veterinarians' list within 72 hours of such placement, and to ensure that such findings are reported to HISA.
Brewster defended Rodriguez's training and oversight, describing him as a hands-on, hardworking caregiver who exercises many of his own horses. A former jockey, he assisted trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. before launching his own training career in 2011. He now has 1,677 wins from 9,451 starters (18% winners), with stable earnings of $83,207,373 through Nov. 26.
Brewster said they have until Dec. 5 to submit a formal written response and supporting documentation, with a potential hearing Dec. 6.
