Quarter Horse trainer Monty Arrossa has received a 15-year suspension and a $567,200 fine from the California Horse Racing Board after three horses in his care tested positive for the banned medication carmoterol across five separate out-of-competition and post-race tests at Los Alamitos in late 2024, according to the board.
Sanctions and Penalties Imposed by the CHRB
The California Horse Racing Board announced the penalties on Friday following a closed-session ratification by board members. Arrossa was handed five consecutive three-year suspensions for the infractions involving the bronchodilator carmoterol, which is strictly prohibited in post-race tests. The financial penalties total $567,200, which includes a combined $100,000 for out-of-competition positives detected in October and November of 2024.
Specific Medication Positives at Los Alamitos
The out-of-competition positives involved the runners American Dreamin on Oct. 10 and Nov. 30, 2024, and Blood Viper on Oct. 20, 2024, with tests administered days after those horses competed in time trials for major futurities. More severe fines accompanied post-race positives for American Dreamin on Oct. 27, 2024, after a victory in the $1,073,800 Golden State Million Futurity, and for AB Seis Corazones on Nov. 10, 2024, following a second-place finish in the $795,000 Los Alamitos Super Derby. Arrossa was fined $268,450 for the Golden State Million positive and $198,750 for the Super Derby positive, with each major fine representing 25 percent of the race purse.
Trainer Background and Track Status
Arrossa ranked as the nation’s leading Quarter Horse trainer in earnings for 2020 and 2021, and remained in the top five from 2022 through 2024. He has not started a horse since March 2025. Track management barred Arrossa from training at Los Alamitos later that month after the racing board publicly announced the carmoterol positives for AB Seis Corazones, American Dreamin, and Blood Viper. Those three horses were owned by the Oklahoma-based Dunn Ranch, operated by Matt and Bendi Dunn, which announced a racing hiatus at Los Alamitos in February following a separate racing board complaint regarding medication violations.
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