SerpApi.Org
Assistant trainer Jonathan Cedillo has been ruled ineligible for 10 years after being found in possession of a prohibited electrical device during a joint search conducted by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) and Kentucky regulatory employees at Churchill Downs on April 29, 2026.
Cedillo had been employed for approximately one week by trainer Kinnon LaRose, who assumed Tom Amoss' stable in March.
"He was a new employee for me," LaRose told the Paulick Report. "HIWU came and randomly searched his car. They immediately reported back to me what they found, and he was fired on the spot.
"I went and told the stewards what happened, and told them he does not get on horses for us, and they verified that and confirmed that with HIWU. He was ruled off immediately, and I haven't had any contact with him since."
The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation's June 20 ruling notes that Cedillo was formally ejected from Churchill Downs on April 29. After waiving his right to a hearing, Cedillo was suspended five years by the KHRGC for "engaging in conduct that is against the best interest of horse racing." Cedillo will also be required to appear before the KHRGC's license review committee for any future license consideration.
A concurrently issued Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority ruling states that Cedillo is ineligible for HISA registration through April 28, 2036, for violating Rule 2273, which prohibits possession of an electrical device intended to affect the speed of a covered horse on racetrack grounds.
