CYPRESS, Calif. - Monty Arrossa, one of the nation’s leading Quarter Horse trainers, has been banned from training at Los Alamitos after three of his horses tested positive for a banned medication last October and November. The track informed Arrossa of the ban earlier this month, citing a clause in the application for stalls, that reads, in part, that the track “may revoke any privilege extended under this Agreement, at any time, in their sole discretion.” On Sunday, Ramiro Castillo, Arrossa’s longtime assistant, had starters finish third or fourth. Approximately 35 horses formerly trained by Arrossa have been transferred to Castillo, a racing official said. Castillo will have runners in the track’s two major races this weekend – Saturday’s Los Alamitos Oaks and Sunday’s El Primero Del Ano Derby. The runners were listed as trained by Arrossa in time trials earlier this month. On Tuesday, Los Alamitos stewards conducted a 40-minute hearing regarding purse redistributions for two runners trained by Arrossa who tested positive for the banned medication carmoterol last fall – Ab Seis Corazones and American Dreamin. Carmoterol is a bronchodilator not permitted to appear in post-race tests. As a class 1 medication, trainers with carmoterol positives are subject to potential lengthy suspensions and substantial fines, according to the racing board rule pertaining to medication violations. Ab Seis Corazones finished second in the $763,000 Los Alamitos Super Derby on Nov. 10, earning $129,710 for Dunn Ranch. A partial redistribution of the purse could occur this weekend, according to comments by Los Alamitos stewards during the hearing. The stewards seemed less likely to take immediate action on redistributing the purse of the $1,046,800 Golden State Million Futurity on Oct. 27, won by the Arrossa-trained American Dreamin for Dunn Ranch. American Dreamin earned $439,656 in the Golden State Million Futurity. After the race, American Dreamin tested positive for carmoterol. The filly also had positive tests for that medication in out-of-competition tests taken after a win in a division of the Golden State Million trials on Oct. 5, and after a win in a division of the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity trials on Nov. 24. During Tuesday’s hearing, Howard Jacobs, an attorney representing Arrossa, argued before stewards James Dreyer, David Nuesch, and Tom Ward that the Golden State Million Futurity purse should not be redistributed because of mistakes made through the testing process. According to Jacobs, the initial urine test taken from American Dreamin after the Golden State Million Futurity revealed a positive for carmoterol, but the urine used to conduct a second test, designed to confirm or refute the initial test, was taken from the remaining contents of the original vial, and not from a second vial as is customary. Jacobs argued that testing officials discarded the second vial after a 30-day period last fall. “It is not the same as testing a split sample,” Jacobs said. “No one knows what the results would have been.” Ward said the stewards would take that issue under advisement. The California Horse Racing Board has scheduled two days of hearings for testimony in late May regarding the five positives for carmoterol found in Arrossa’s runners. Aside from Ab Seis Corazones and American Dream, Blood Viper tested positive in an out-of-competition test following the Golden State Million Futurity time trials. Arrossa’s case will be heard by an administrative law judge, who will present a decision regarding a potential penalty against the trainer to the racing board, which can modify, accept, or reject the findings. The case may not reach the racing board until mid-summer. Arrossa has had a high profile at Los Alamitos for the last decade, winning many of the track’s leading races. Last year, he ranked first in Quarter Horse wins at the track’s yearlong meeting for Quarter Horses and lower-level Thoroughbreds. Arrossa was third in the Los Alamitos standings by wins in 2022 and second in 2023. Nationally, Arrossa ranked fifth in the nation with stable earnings of more than $3.8 million in 2024. Of the nation’s five leading Quarter Horse trainers by earnings in 2024, four have been cited for positives for carmoterol, including Toby Keeton, Juan Diaz, and Heath Taylor, the top three in the rankings. Keeton and Taylor were cited for violations found in runners that started at The Downs at Albuquerque on Labor Day last year. The Keeton-trained Hezgothelook Z, winner of the $3 million All American Futurity, was among the 12 horses that tested positive, New Mexico officials said last month. Diaz and Keeton were cited for carmoterol positives in Texas last September, officials in that state announced in February. Keeton, Diaz, and Taylor were all summarily suspended by officials in New Mexico or Texas. California does not have a summary suspension policy. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.