Trainer Orlando Noda was fined $5,000 in an Aug. 15 ruling posted on the New York Gaming Commission website for "action detrimental to the best interest of racing." Having appealed, a stay has been granted.
The ruling did not state the precise nature of the violation. Daily Racing Form, which first reported the fine, noted that both commission steward Braulio Baeza Jr. and Noda declined to comment. The Form cited unnamed sources that claimed to have seen Noda being overly aggressive on a horse that he was exercising during a recent morning at Saratoga Race Course.
Attorney Drew Mollica, representing Noda in his appeal, told Horse Racing Nation that Noda "vehemently denies any behavior that would warrant such a ridiculous, arbitrary, and capricious fine."
New York stewards have issued two other fines this summer at Saratoga, both for smaller amounts. Trainer Chad Brown was docked $500 for having an unlicensed employee working at the track and jockey Edward Keating $1,000 for careless riding in an Aug. 4 steeplechase race in which his mount left the course.
A trainer since 2019, the New York-based Noda has won 65 races from 368 starts with earnings of more than $3.1 million.