Trainer Michael Joiner was suspended after one of his racehorses tested positive for methamphetamine following a major Quarter Horse race in New Mexico, a move that briefly sidelined him from racing nationwide before a court intervened.
Joiner’s Oklahoma bred horse, Js On Fire, tested positive for methamphetamine after finishing second at the American Quarter Horse Association Racing Challenge at the Downs of Albuquerque on October 19. Laboratory testing detected 0.485 nanograms of the substance in the horse’s system. Joiner’s attorney Billy Blackburn described the amount as “very, very, very small,” adding, “It’s invisible to see with the naked eye.”
The New Mexico Racing Commission issued a summary suspension on October 31 without first holding a disciplinary hearing. Under racing regulations followed across the United States, a summary suspension imposed by one state racing commission is automatically recognized by other jurisdictions. As a result, the New Mexico action effectively barred Joiner from training or racing horses anywhere in the country, not just within the state.
Joiner challenged the suspension in court, denying that he administered methamphetamine to the horse and arguing that the trace amount detected was the result of environmental contamination. In his motion, he said the exposure “had to be the result of environmental contamination from the Downs of Albuquerque or the number of racetrack employees who handled the horses from the stalls to the racing gates.” He cited a 2022 incident in which a New Mexico State Police video documented people illegally living in racetrack barns, some of whom were allegedly using meth, as evidence of lingering contamination risks at the facility.
On Monday, Nancy Franchini, a judge of the New Mexico Second Judicial District Court, issued an emergency temporary restraining order allowing Joiner to continue racing while the administrative case moves forward. The court ruled that Joiner would suffer “irreparable injury or harm” if the suspension remained in effect and found that his legal challenge had a “substantial likelihood” of success. The judge also said lifting the suspension temporarily would not be adverse to the public interest.
Joiner has trained racehorses since 1979 and has competed in Quarter Horse racing across California, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Horses under his training have earned more than $18.1 million, and his filing stated that he has rarely faced disciplinary action for prohibited drug violations. The racing commission is now awaiting results from a second test sample, a required step in its adjudication process, after which it will determine whether Joiner’s license will be suspended following a formal disciplinary hearing. No timeline has been set for a final ruling.
