HIWU suspends Muñoz Cano for 12 years for clenbuterol positives

The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit suspended trainer Juan Muñoz Cano for 12 years and fined him $150,000 because of clenbuterol positives in six horses in his care.

Muñoz Cano received two-year suspensions, to run consecutively, and a $25,000 for each violation. The penalties were reported earlier by Paulick Report and BloodHorse.

Clenbuterol is a banned substance that increases airflow to the lungs.

The six horses listed by HIWU include La Bukana, who suffered a fatal breakdown in an October race at Churchill Downs and was determined to have clenbuterol in her system at the time of her death. Also listed was Solidify, who had a Nov. 20 violation date and finished seventh in a Churchill Downs race the same day. The other four horses, who returned positives in out-of-competition tests, are Beer With Ice, whose violation is listed as occurring Jan. 15; Protomagic, whose violation occurred Nov. 21; Global Sensation, who has a Nov. 21 violation date; and True Jedi, who has a Nov. 21 violation date.

No penalty was given for a positive finding for Outofnothingatall on Nov. 20 because an arbitration panel determined that the horse was not in Muñoz Cano's care when the clenbuterol was administered.

Kentucky racing authorities suspended Muñoz Cano indefinitely in January, following a HIWU citation regarding La Bukana in December. He has continued to race in Louisiana, which is not under the jurisdiction of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.