Fung Gets Two-Year Suspension, $20,000 Fine in Clenbuterol Case

Christopher R. Fung took the week’s hardest hit in HISA’s latest rulings batch: a two-year suspension and a $20,000 fine after Anointed King tested positive for clenbuterol from a runner-up finish at Finger Lakes on Aug. 20, 2024. Fung’s suspension began April 25, putting the penalty in force immediately and turning one positive into a long stretch on the sidelines for a trainer now facing the sport’s full anti-doping machinery.

The case matters because it was not about a sample lost in the shuffle or a technicality at the edges of testing. It came down to whether a urine result should stand when later hair testing did not back it up. The arbitrator sided with the urine finding and rejected the idea that a negative hair test could erase a positive result. In doing so, the ruling reinforced a blunt message from HISA and HIWU: if a banned substance shows up, the burden shifts hard onto the trainer to prove how it got there.

That burden is especially steep with clenbuterol, a bronchodilator that can be used only in narrow circumstances. It may be given for up to 30 days within a six-month window, and only with a valid veterinary prescription. After that, the horse goes on the vets’ list and cannot work or race again until it tests clear. That framework is designed to separate legitimate treatment from performance-enhancing use, and Fung’s case shows how unforgiving the system becomes when the evidence breaks against the barn.

Fung argued he did not intentionally administer clenbuterol and suggested it may have been transferred accidentally by a freelance groom. The arbitrator was not persuaded. The ruling found Fung had not met his burden of proving source by a balance of probabilities, a standard that leaves little room for speculation when a positive test has already been recorded. For Anointed King, the practical effect is straightforward: the horse was tied to a violation that halted any near-term racing path until the testing issue was resolved.

The ruling also fit into a broader week of enforcement, with the HISA Authority filing a notice of violation against Librado Barocio and warning that he could face a provisional suspension. Taken together, the actions show a system policing medication cases aggressively and in public view. For trainers, owners, and bettors, the lesson is clear: HISA is not treating drug positives as routine paperwork disputes. It is treating them as integrity failures with real consequences, and Fung is now living one of them.