Hector Palma never went away. Through the late summer and early fall, the 86-year-old Palma kept a presence at Santa Anita, notably in the mornings at Clocker’s Corner, while serving a provisional suspension issued by the Horseracing Welfare and Integrity Unit in August after one of his starters tested positive for methamphetamine. In September, four of Palma’s employees were suspended from 30 to 90 days after they tested positive for methamphetamine and/or amphetamine, according to rules published by California Horse Racing Board stewards. In November, Palma’s provisional suspension was lifted by HIWU, which cited a rule that provisional suspensions can be lifted if the agency “considers it appropriate to do so on the specific facts of the case.” With that decision, Palma was back in business. Palma said Thursday that had HIWU given him a lengthy suspension his career would have come to an unceremonious end. “If they gave me two years, I would have quit,” he said. “People in the barn were positive.  “They gave me two months. By the time they called me, I had done 75 days.” Palma had his first starter in more than three months on Nov. 18 at Del Mar. He had his first winner since his return to training on Dec. 8 at Los Alamitos, with Magnificent Ride in a $20,000 claimer for maidens. This Friday, Palma has two horses entered at Los Alamitos – Geezer in the third race, an allowance race for statebred sprinters in which the 3-year-old gelding is entered to be claimed for $20,000; and Unusual Win, in the fifth race, a $20,000 claimer for maiden sprinters. In the last month, Palma has attempted to rebuild his barn, which was under the direction of assistant Jose Valdez during his suspension. The stable currently has 15 runners, which from Palma’s point of view is an insufficient number. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. “I’m doing all right,” he said. “I don’t have too many horses. “We need more. For me, it’s not enough. When you have 15 horses, you have seven or eight horses ready to run. When you have 30 horses, you have 15 or 18 horses ready to run.” The stable’s current list of race-ready runners does not include Magic Spoon, who won the Golden State Juvenile for statebred 2-year-olds on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita, but has since been sidelined with injury.  Palma said Magic Spoon is in the midst of a 45- to 60-day rest. “It’s nothing very serious,” Palma said. “He’ll need time. He’s going to need a month or two months off.” The next few months will determine Palma’s future. He wants to build the stable size, but has not ruled out retirement. At his age, Palma is one of the senior trainers in Southern California. “I’m going to give it a try and see what happens,” he said. “We’ll do what we have to.” Palma began training in 1971 and has amassed 1,244 wins, including 11 this year. Palma was the leading trainer at the 1984 spring-summer meeting at Hollywood Park, the 1973 Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Fairplex Park, and six times at the Orange County Fair meeting at Los Alamitos from 1981 to 1988. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.