The New Mexico Racing Commission has suspended an owner through 2027 and a trainer for six months for their roles in a "paper training" scheme.

Chelsea Hackbarth, PaulickReport.com

PAULICK REPORT–APRIL 2, 2025–A New Mexico Racing Commission investigation recently uncovered a "paper training" scheme with a suspended trainer operating behind the scenes at a training center, according to executive director Izzy Trejo.

Subpoenaed records revealed that Abraham Jaquez, a trainer suspended by the NMRC, was paying the bills for horses at a training center. The horses, both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, would then run under the name of owner Armando Jaquez, the suspended trainer's brother, and Alejandro Chavez was listed in the program as the trainer.

"It was a step-by-step unraveling," Trejo explained. "We keep a saddling log, and that indicates who’s saddling what horses. By rule, trainers have to call in to the stewards to let them know they’re not going to be there to saddle their horse, and who is going to saddle the horse."

In Chavez' case, investigators noticed that he often used a substitute trainer to saddle his horses. In a subsequent interview, Chavez revealed the horses were stabled at a training center, and that he saw them in person infrequently.

That interview led to records being subpoenaed, which revealed that Abraham Jaquez was paying the horses' bills. Jaquez was suspended three years and fined $10,000 by the NMRC in 2013 after his Quarter Horse trainee Ebw Perfectstorm tested positive for Zilpaterol at SunRay Park.

Zilpaterol is a Class 2 drug that is only approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in cattle. It’s not the first time zilpaterol has been found in racehorses; its use in beef cattle is primarily weight and muscle gain, which could be attractive to trainers expecting to bulk up a horse.

Further rulings from the NMRC reveal that since Abraham Jaquez failed to pay the $10,000 fine, he remains suspended.

A hearing for Chavez was held on March 24, for which the trainer failed to appear. After hearing testimony and viewing evidence, stewards found that Chavez "is guilty of participating in a paper training scheme that defrauded the betting public." The Sunland Park stewards thus sanctioned Chavez with a $5,000 fine and a six-month suspension (ending Sept. 24, 2025).

In addition, Chavez must retake and pass all sections of the NMRC written trainers examination before becoming eligible for license reinstatement.

Another hearing was held for owner Armando Jaquez on March 24, for which the owner also failed to appear. The Sunland Park stewards found that Jaquez is guilty of violating NMAC: 16.47.1.9, which reads, in relevant part: "Rulings against a licensee apply to another person if [...] the horse is owned in whole or in part, or leased or trained by a person ineligible to participate in racing."

Stewards thus sanctioned Jaquez with a $25,000 fine and a suspension through the duration of his current license, which expires April 30, 2027. The case was also referred to the NMRC with the recommendation that his license be revoked.

Reprinted courtesy PaulickReport.com