Alan Pincus

The decision comes despite numerous infractions, suspensions, and other penalties. Should anybody really be surprised? It doesn't seem to matter how much trouble a trainer can get into, they always seems to eventually find his way back. Case in point: Ramon Preciado. Preciado ran two horses at Mountaineer Park last week and has been starting horses there since April 12. Through Thursday, he had won with four of his 34 Mountaineer starters. His reinstatement came a bit more than nine years after he ran his last horse. Preciado isn't the...

In the latest salvo amid an oftentimes confusing chain of events that have played out across Pennsylvania's racing industry the last couple of months, the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) issued a statement Thursday denying allegations the organization had failed to provide adequate support for the nine trainers at Parx Racing who were told last month by track management they would be denied stalls at the track, but were given no reasons as to why. "The information that is being provided is one-sided and fails to reflect the immediate and...

When racing was canceled on Dec. 2 at Parx after the first two races, horseplayer Mitch Demick said he was relieved. He said that he had bet about $120 combined on the early Pick 4 and the Big 5 Pick 5. Entering the third race of the day, which was not run, he did not have a live ticket with either bet. As someone who often plays the horizontal wagers at Parx, Demick was sure he knew the rules and that he was entitled to a refund. According to both...

With the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) issuing provisional suspensions in what seems like a rapid-fire manner, attorney Alan Pincus has been busy. He is representing trainer Mario Dominguez, who was hit with a provisional suspension after a horse he trained allegedly tested positive for cobalt, and has worked with trainer Jonathan Wong on his case. A Wong-trained horse allegedly tested positive for the banned substance Metformin. Pincus joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast sponsored by Keeneland to discuss his cases and to express his views on what has...

Attorney Alan Pincus Discusses HIWU Suspensions on the TDN Writers' Room.

Parx-based trainers Miguel Penaloza and Cesareo Marquez and jockey Edwin Rivera have been summarily suspended by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission after recent investigations found the three to be in possession of contraband. The trainers were found to be in possession of hypodermic needles, syringes and injectable substances, while Rivera was caught with an electrical device. According to a press release from the Organization of Racing Investigators, investigators from multiple jurisdictions assembled the week of Sept. 19 and conducted barn searches and stopped cars at the backstretch gates at all three...

Nearly five months after beginning a suspension for betting against his own mounts, jockey Mychel Sanchez returned to action Wednesday, riding in the second race at Delaware Park. Sanchez finished eighth aboard XY Lady (Sharp Azteca) in the race for 2-year-old maiden fillies. He is also listed on mounts on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday cards at Delaware. Sanchez last rode Jan. 19 at Parx. Shortly after that, the Pennsylvania Racing Commission handed him a 60-day suspension after it was discovered that during a betting spree he made wagers on...

Mychel Sanchez's 60-day suspension for betting against himself is about to end, but that doesn't mean the jockey will be back in action any time soon. After being suspended for 60 days by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission, Sanchez is eligible to ride Tuesday, but Parx management did not allow trainers to name him on horses on Wednesday when entries were taken for next Tuesday's card. "We tried to name him on horses for Tuesday after his suspension ends and they would not accept anyone naming him on a horse," said...

When it was revealed that jockey Mychel Sanchez had gone on a betting spree that included wagers where he bet against the horses he was riding, his attorney Alan Pincus argued that this was not a matter of race fixing. Rather, Pincus said, Sanchez had turned to gambling as an outlet to combat his depression, let things spin out of control and in all cases did his best to win, even when it meant he might beat a horse he had bet on. "He was just doing something crazy that...

Jockey Mychel Sanchez, who has been suspended 60 days by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission for betting on horses other than the ones he rode, is not a cheat or a race-fixer, his attorney told the TDN Friday. Rather, said lawyer Alan Pincus, Sanchez was dealing with a serious case of depression and took to gambling as an outlet. Pincus said that in all instances Sanchez tried his best to win the races in question, whether he had bet against his own horse or not. "It was clear he was giving...