Mike Puype

Shadow Nation (Ire) (Sioux Nation) was certainly on the betting public's radar heading into his career opener at Santa Anita on Sunday, and he did not disappoint when he came screaming from off the pace to score by 6 1/2 lengths in a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'-earning performance. Shadow Nation was allowed to linger in fourth in the early going of the five-furlong turf test, several lengths behind the speedy Repo (Nyquist) who cut out an initial quarter in :22.11. When asked the question by Joel Rosario, it...

6th-SA, $70K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 6:12 p.m. ET. While a good portion of the country is tossing another log on the fire in an attempt to stave off the frigid temperatures, out in toasty Arcadia a group of maidens led by some intriguing prospects have assembled for a hot race. Chief among them is POTENTE (Into Mischief) who Speedway Stables made the second topper when they went to $2.4-million to acquire the colt at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. Sent to trainer Bob Baffert, the first-time starter is out...

In 2024, maintaining a racing stable in California has become a shaky endeavor for license holders both large and small, prolific and select. But for California trainer Mike Puype, this year has been especially fraught. For much of this year, Puype had hanging over his head the threat of a possible four-year ban and $50,000 fine after investigators found Isoxsuprine tablets and Levothyroxine powder--two once relatively common substances in horse racing now banned under HISA--during a routine barn search in April of this year. Last week, an independent arbitrator who...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among this week's rulings, following a Nov. 22 hearing an independent arbitrator issued trainer Mike Puype a three-month and 17-day suspension (time served) along with a $1,000 fine after two bottles of Isoxsuprine tablets and two containers of Levothyroxine (ThyroL) powder were found in his barn during a routine search on April 24. The Isoxuprine tablets expired in 2012 and 2013, while the Levothyroxine powders expired in 2016...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) board of directors announced Monday an important change to a controversial aspect of the federal program's enforcement approach. The HISA board have requested that the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) limit the circumstances under which they issue provisional suspensions. These are the temporary suspensions imposed before a trainer or other allegedly guilty party has had a chance to argue their cause during a formal hearing and relate to cases associated with banned substances. The announcement states that the HISA board has determined...

Just last week, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority released its latest safety figures, showing a four-quarter consecutive decline in equine fatalities. Indeed, in the second quarter of this year, tracks operating under HISA reported 0.76 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts--significantly lower than the perennial national average. But on the flip side of these statistics is an ongoing concern among stakeholders that the enforcement arm of the national program is in certain areas proving too onerous, and that the penalties aren't always an appropriate response to the...

Every week, the TDN posts a round-up of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among this week's rulings, trainer Charles Essex has been suspended for 15 days and fined $1,000 after his trainee, The Golden Egg, tested positive for acepromazine after finishing second at Emerald Downs May 31. A ubiquitous sedative across the nation's backstretches, acepromazine is a Class B controlled medication under HISA, a maximum first-time violation for which is what the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Unit (HIWU) meted out to...

Trainer Mike Puype, whose accomplishments include two wins in the Breeders' Cup, has been provisionally suspended by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit after two banned substances, levothyroxine and isoxuprine, were allegedly found on his possession. The ruling against Puype was posted on the HIWU website Friday. The offense occurred Apr. 24. According to Equibase, Puype has not started a horse since June 16. When reached by phone Friday by the TDN, Puype said he would make a comment at a later date after he has had a chance to...