Angel Quiroz, the trainer at the center of a recent rash of suspicious winners after layoffs, was charged Thursday with an alleged vets' list medication violation for albuterol, a banned substance, in a sample collected from the horse Bonita Rough on July 10 at Fair Hill Training Center, according to Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) spokesperson, Alexa Ravit, in an emailed statement Thursday.The charge is posted on HIWU's website, under pending violations.“This charge letter was served after Quiroz was notified of the positive test, waived the opportunity to request B Sample analysis, and failed to provide a sufficient explanation for the positive test,” wrote Ravit.Quiroz can now request an arbitration hearing.In a text message, the trainer explained he did not currently want to answer questions due to a family matter, but he intimated he would be willing to answer questions next week.Albuterol is a banned bronchodilator, meaning it's designed to clear the airway, helping horses breathe easier. The maximum penalty associated with a banned substance positive from a vet's list sample would be a two-year suspension and $25,000 fine.Four-year-old filly Bonita Rough is not one of the Quiroz-trained horses that caused such controversy over the weekend, with implications that have rippled through international betting markets.Instead, Bonita Rough is a full sister to Bravo Rough, who received wagers with UK bookmakers when he was entered in the second race at Mountaineer Park on Monday, but was scratched prior to running. Bonita Rough and Bravo Rough are listed on Equibase as having the same owner-breeders, Long Trail Stables.Bonita Rough's sole race was on June 22 of last year, when the filly finished seventh and last at Gulfstream Park for trainer Frank Santillana.This whole byzantine story launched Sunday when Quiroz scored with a pair of horses at Monmouth, The Great Amira (Rock Your World) and Tepeyac (Heart to Heart) in back-to-back races.Tepeyac won by a half-length. It was the colt's first start since finishing sixth in an optional claimer/starter allowance on April 5 at Gulfstream. The horse paid $37.20 and $9.60, but the $1 daily double combining the two paid just $12.80.On the same day, trainer Ernesto Ochoa won races with Classic Rock (Daredevil) and M Bs Melanie Cares (Redesdale) at Saratoga. Quiroz reportedly admitted he was the previous trainer of the two Saratoga winners and said that both were sold by their owners to Ochoa shortly before the Saratoga starts.All these horses showed prior workouts at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland. Prior to Sunday, Quiroz had only two winners on the year. Ochoa also had only two wins. On Monday, Fair Hill training center General Manager Will Phipps confirmed the facility had launched an investigation into the matter.On Equibase, Quiroz has the horse Gran Campanero (Improbable) entered to run in the third race at Delaware Friday. Gran Campanero has not run since April.On Monday, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) issued a statement explaining its testing strategy in light of Sunday's suspicious results.“Consistent with HIWU's test distribution plan, all horses that won the races referenced were immediately selected for Post-Race testing. Additional targeted Out-of-Competition Testing has been and will continue to be administered by HIWU. HISA has placed Threedots Andadash, who was entered to compete [Monday] at Presque Isle Downs by connections of the horses in question, on the HISA Veterinarians' List as deemed unfit to race.“Threedots Andadash will remain on the Veterinarians' List pending further developments in the investigation. As HISA is not currently operating in West Virginia, it has informed the West Virginia Racing Commission about the other horse entered to race today with similar connections at Mountaineer,” the agency wrote.On Thursday, the TDN asked HIWU how many Quiroz-trained horses the agency has tested since the weekend.Ravit responded by writing that targeted Out-of-Competition testing “has been and will continue to be administered” in relation to Sunday's events, but that HIWU cannot share additional details on that approach at this time.“Neither HIWU nor HISA will have further comment at this time on this pending case, which is part of an ongoing investigation,” wrote Ravit, on Thursday, about the Bonita Rough case.The post Angel Quiroz Charged With Albuterol Positive, Faces Possible Two-Year Ban appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.