Identifier, Horsemen Sanctioned in NM Misidentification

A horse identifier, trainer, and owner in New Mexico were sanctioned by New Mexico stewards Dec. 6 for their roles in which two horses were misidentified and one horse raced for two starts under a different name.

Horse identifier Kenneth Mike LaRue was fined $5,000 for misidentifying the two horses, according to a ruling posted on the Association of Racing Commissioners International website; Sherry Armstrong, who trained the two horses at the time of the races in question, was fined $2,000 and suspended 15 days from Dec. 15-30; and owner Tom McKenna of Judge Lanier Racing was fined $2,000.

Stewards cited LaRue for allowing McMissy  to run in an Aug. 22 race and Sept. 16 race last year at The Downs at Albuquerque in place of the horse McCirca , the horse named on the official program. Stewards cited aggravating factors in their decision, including Larue's "failure to notify the New Mexico Racing Commission when aware of the incident."

Horse identifiers are responsible for properly identifying horses, either through sex, color, markings, lip tattoo, or microchip. McMissy is a chestnut, McCirca a bay.

Stewards disqualified McCirca and ordered her unplaced in the races. Initially, she had earned $266 in finishing sixth in the first of the two races, $0 in running last in the other.

The two Thoroughbreds previously owned by Judge Lanier Racing apparently were inadvertently switched last year, according to an Oct. 11 story in Paulick Report. That story noted Armstrong sent out the wrong filly and learned shortly after the Sept. 16 race of the error. 

Stewards noted in Armstrong's ruling that McMissy arrived at her barn identified by tag as McCirca. They considered mitigating factors in her sanctions, including that McMissy was not later properly identified by the veterinarian administering Lasix or by the track identifier.

The New Mexico Racing Commission intends to start an investigation into the action of the veterinarian and determine if a hearing is warranted, according to Izzy Trejo, executive director of the NMRC.

Following the two races in question, McMissy subsequently ran twice at Zia Park, again without challenging. As of 6 p.m. ET Dec. 7, her online past performances on Equibase did not list the starts in August and September. Those races remain credited to McCirca, who, showing those past performances, last competed in a Nov. 21 race at Zia Park for different connections. She stumbled at the start and lost her rider.

Neither horse has come close to contending in a race since February 2020.

Another identification snafu occurred in New Mexico this summer, leading to a 15-day suspension and a $5,000 fine for trainer Justin Evans for mixing up two horses in his stable. LaRue, also the identifier in that case, received a $1,000 fine this fall.

With Monday's ruling, LaRue is "not able to be licensed as an official in the state of New Mexico," it states.

Asked what needs to change in the future to avoid misidentification and other errors, Trejo said it boils down to commitment.

"The thing the commission would like to see is all the racing officials that work in the state of New Mexico get some education on how to do their jobs right, and not be so lazy," he said. "That's basically why these mistakes happen because people cut corners and they're lazy. I hate to be so blunt."

The three sanctioned individuals have until Dec. 16 to file an appeal. Trejo said Dec. 7 that they had not yet received any paperwork for an appeal.