Nevada trainer fined $100K for giving illegal drugs to four horses

Nevada racing officials have hit horse trainer Ricardo Castillo with a major penalty, slapping him with a $100,000 fine for giving illegal drugs to four horses during last year’s Elko County Fair. Along with the fine, Castillo is also facing a four-year suspension, according to a decision shared in the Nevada Gaming Control Board and Gaming Commission’s June 2025 agenda.

The case centers around the four horses, Bnb Hasta La Luna, Famous Prizes, Dr. B, and Bnb Lightning McQueen, all of which tested positive for banned substances after their races.

The state steward ruled the horses be “disqualified with purse winnings redistributed to the other participants in the applicable races,” adding that Castillo was issued a $4,000 fine per violation, amounting to a total of $100,000 in fines for multiple offenses.

In addition, the Board of Stewards recommended that Castillo’s Nevada horse racing license “be revoked effective September 3, 2024, and barred from re-applying for 4 years.”

Control Board agent Andrew Olsen said the board and commission carefully reviewed the state steward’s original ruling along with all the evidence in the case, which involved multiple violations tied to four different horses.

Olsen said: “Bnb Hasta La Luna had methamphetamine and amphetamine in its urine,” Olsen said. “Famous Prizes tested positive for both drugs in its blood and urine. Dr. B had meth, amphetamine, and even tramadol, a powerful painkiller, in its samples. And the fourth horse, Bnb Lightning McQueen, also showed meth, amphetamine, and tramadol.”

Board members pointed out that drugging horses is a safety and animal welfare crisis. Running doped horses can endanger jockeys, other horses on the track, and undermine the fairness of wagering.

Board member George Assad was blunt in his remarks, saying the use of illegal drugs on horses amounted to animal cruelty.

“This could have easily been a totally different kind of a case where some type of second-degree murder or manslaughter case if one of these jockeys fell off the horse and broke his neck. It’s certainly animal cruelty.” – George Assad, Nevada Gaming Control Board member

He initially pushed for a much stiffer penalty, suggesting a $100,000 fine for each race and a five-year ban per violation, which amounts to a total of $400,000 in fines and a 20-year suspension. After further discussion, the board agreed to a $25,000 fine per race and a 15-year ban from racing for Castillo.

The decision is part of a broader effort by Nevada regulators to crack down on doping in horse racing and protect both the animals and the fairness of the sport.

Castillo has appealed the ruling, giving the board the authority to revisit and potentially alter the penalties originally set by the steward.

He did not attend the board’s meeting on Wednesday, but had previously told the steward he had no idea how the banned substances ended up in the horses’ systems.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board reviewed Castillo’s appeal during its June 11, 2025, meeting at the Nevada Legislature Office Building in Las Vegas. As of now, the board has not released its final decision on the appeal.

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