Puerto Rico Thoroughbreds Die After Hycoat Injections; 1/ST Bans Shipments

Juan Carlos Santaella, executive director of the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission, confirmed that "several Thoroughbred racehorses had died and dozens of others remained 'affected' due to what may have been off-label use of a medication called 'Hycoat,'" and Neogen voluntarily recalled Hycoat on Jan. 29, 2026 after reports tied to intra-articular injections. Paulick Report broke the story and local officials say the fatalities and affected animals are centered in Puerto Rico while the manufacturer has said adverse events were "not isolated to Puerto Rico."

Hycoat is described by suppliers as a hyaluronate sodium sterile solution labeled as a "topical wound management system in surgical wounds, burns, ulcers, and autograft procedures." Neogen's recall cited "microbial contamination" and "a number of reports of adverse events in horses following intra-articular injections of this product, which is inconsistent with its labeled, intended use." The company added, "To date, Neogen has not received reports of adverse events when used in a manner consistent with the labeled use."

The Puerto Rico Gaming Commission has announced it is funding imports of new horses amid the crisis, though officials have not released numbers or a procurement timeline. Santaella’s confirmation that deaths and dozens of affected animals resulted from what "may have been off-label use" leaves unanswered whether Hycoat was injected intra-articularly in the specific Puerto Rico cases and whether laboratory testing has linked contaminated Hycoat lots to the fatalities.

1/ST RACING has sharply escalated measures tied to welfare concerns at Hipódromo Camarero. Gulfstream Park overnight notices now carry a house rule: "The aftercare of horses that have shipped to Puerto Rico to race, and are no longer racing, are of great concern to Gulfstream Park and 1/ST Racing. Trainers and Owners are warned not to ship horses to Puerto Rico. Any license holder who sends a horse to Puerto Rico will no longer be welcomed to race or train at 1/ST facilities and may be subject to fines." BloodHorse reports that "effective this weekend, 1/ST RACING will discontinue selling the simulcast signal from Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita Park to Hipódromo Camarero in Puerto Rico" and that "In addition to discontinuing the simulcast signal to Hipódromo Camarero, any license holder who chooses to ship or sell a horse to Puerto Rico will no longer be welcome to race or train at 1/ST facilities," said Butler.

Those steps build on prior 1/ST policies that banned transport of racehorses by cargo ship from 1/ST facilities and required connections of horses sold to Puerto Rico to deposit funds for aftercare and potential return shipment. BloodHorse noted the cargo-ship ban "exposed inadequate funding for aftercare for horses retiring from Hipódromo Camarero." To accompany the new measures, 1/ST will donate $100,000 to the Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare; Bill Nader, President of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, said, "There is no place in our sport for neglect or inhumane treatment of horses... The TOC fully supports this action by 1/ST RACING as a necessary step and its $100,000 donation to help drive home the message that the horse must come first."

Key questions remain for investigators and industry stakeholders: exact counts and identities of the Puerto Rico fatalities, the administration route of Hycoat in those cases, lab confirmation tying contaminated lots to on-farm outcomes, and the mechanics and amounts behind the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission's funding for horse imports. Regulators, Neogen, Puerto Rico veterinarians, and 1/ST RACING will need to provide those specifics to clarify the public-health, business, and aftercare implications for racing in Puerto Rico and the wider North American market.