ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It’s the Kentucky Derby for quarter horse racing, and it took place at the Albuquerque Downs.

Millions were on the line during the All American Futurity race, but six months later, the winner hasn’t been paid.

The race normally takes place at the Ruidoso Downs, but because of last year’s wildfires and flooding, it was moved to the Duke City.

On Wednesday, the racing community finally got some answers about the winner’s payday and where that money is.

New Mexico Racing Commission Executive Director Izzy Trejo said they just caught two mice. After months of waiting, he confirmed a dozen horses in the All American Futurity race had an illegal drug in their system. Lab results came back positive for carmoterol, it acts like a steroid.

Ray Paulick follows the racing community closely with his independent online publication paulickreport.com. He’s never seen a scandal this widespread.

“The only thing I can think of that comes close to, I guess, would be major league baseball when they had the steroid scandal. And you now have, you know, the number one all time, home run hitter Barry Bonds not being in the Hall of Fame,” he said.

Two trainers were named: Toby Keeton trained seven horses and Heath Taylor trained five horses. This isn’t Taylor’s first doping scandal, according to Paulick.

“Heath Taylor was given a five-year suspension in Louisiana that he returned from in 2019 so he does have a track record of violations that was for another drug that was sort of an unknown drug and horses at the time,” Paulick said.

Since most of the horses involved made the podium, around $5 million is just sitting there. The trainers and owners could face years long bans, but Trejo said the most effected people are the ones that made bets.

“That’s definitely a sore spot of a question, because the fact of the matter is, and the bottom line, truth is, the people that were at the racetrack that day supporting horse racing, putting their hard-earned dollars on these races they’ve been cheated,” he said. 

He also added there’s no way to change pay-outs for bets made that day.

Trejo knows it’ll take a while to gain the community’s trust again, but he’s also happy the cheaters were weeded out. The trainers, horse and owners are summarily suspended for now. 

As for the prize money, depending on the legal outcomes that could take years to sort out, it could go to the runner ups in all the races with horses involved in the scandal.