Provisional Suspension Issued Against Trainer Rodriguez

While a final adjudication is yet to come, a hearing officer determined Dec. 15 that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority had demonstrated good cause to move forward with a provisional suspension of trainer Rudy Rodriguez, who is accused of endangering horses. After a Dec. 12 hearing, officer Armand Leone approved the provisional—immediate—suspension of New York-based Rodriguez. A provisional suspension means a covered person, in this case, Rodriguez, cannot participate in racing while a case is decided. HISA is allowed to issue provisional suspensions when it can show the allegations involved present an imminent danger to the health and welfare of horses. "The Authority has demonstrated good cause to the comfortable satisfaction of the hearing officer that the request for provisional suspension of the respondent pending a final adjudication should be granted," Leone ruled. With a posted notice, HISA informed Rodriguez that he was suspended, effective at 5 p.m., Dec. 16. At that Dec. 12 hearing, representatives of HISA argued that the authority can move forward with an immediate suspension of a covered person if there's good cause. In this case, they argued, HISA had shown that covered horses were deprived of necessary veterinary treatment by Rodriguez. HISA pointed to a number of cases in which it said Rodriguez's horses did not receive lameness evaluations after being placed on the veterinarians' list. In his decision, Leone noted, "The Authority's basis for suspension is that there is an absence of veterinarian treatment records for multiple covered horses concerning lameness evaluations or diagnostic treatments after being placed on the (vets' list) in the HISA portal or produced to the Authority (on) request. "Based on the absence of treatment records, covered horses were deprived of necessary veterinary treatment." Represented by Clark Brewster, a Thoroughbred owner and equine attorney, Rodriguez argued that the Authority's accusations amounted to omissions in record-keeping and did not constitute deprivation of necessary care. They also said that not all of the horses referenced had been placed on the vets' list. "Respondent's horses are routinely assessed by attending veterinarian Dr. Reyn Andrews by personal observation and interview with (Rodriguez) and his staff," they argued. They said such examination records are not required to be uploaded to the HISA portal because they do not concern "treatments, procedures, and surgeries." Going into this year, Rodriguez had finished in the top 100 in both earnings and wins for 15 years in a row. While Rodriguez primarily competes in claiming races, he has won grade 1 stakes with horses such as Bella Sofia, Lady Ivanka, Dads Caps, Condo Commando, and Belle Gallantey. Rodriguez spoke at the hearing, noting that he frequently rides his horses in the morning and keeps close tabs on them. He added that he intentionally has reduced the number of horses in his stable at any one time to 50-60 to allow hands-on attention. Rodriguez said when one of his horses is placed on the vets' list, he looks them over to determine if an attending veterinarian should be called for further evaluation. In his decision, the hearing officer noted that HISA discovered the lack of veterinarian treatment records for multiple horses concerning lameness evaluations or diagnostic treatments after it began fatality investigations into four horses that had been trained by Rodriguez: Jemography, Secret Rules, Spooky Lady, and Heavyweight Champs. Jemography suffered a catastrophic injury to his left front leg during a Dec. 13, 2024, workout at Belmont Park. Secret Rules was euthanized after breaking down during a Jan. 19, 2025 breeze at Belmont. Records presented at the hearing say that Spooky Lady died in her stall June 7, 2025. After showing lameness in her left hind leg on June 1, an attending veterinarian had her transported to Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists for treatment. After discharge, the horse died in her stall from a lacerated vessel as a complication of surgery. Heavyweight Champs was euthanized after a catastrophic breakdown while racing Nov. 14, 2025, at Aqueduct. In making its case for an immediate suspension of Rodriguez, HISA representatives based their argument solely on the "deprivation of necessary care, sustenance, shelter, or veterinarian care" standard. The hearing officer found that the lack of prompt exams by an attending veterinarian of Rodriguez-trained horses placed on the vets' list pointed to violations of the rule. Leone found that, "A horse placed on the (vets' list) deserves prompt medical examination by an attending veterinarian so that appropriate diagnostics are performed, treatment provided, and recovery from the injury is properly managed. The attending veterinarian needs to see a horse placed on the (vets' list) while the injury is still present and the horse is symptomatic. "This should typically occur within 48 hours of being placed on the list. Failing to do so is a deprivation of necessary veterinarian care (under the rules). Respondent failed to follow the standard of care required for a trainer and endangered the welfare of his horses."