Penn Vet Agrees To Lifetime Ban To Resolve HISA Allegations Of 18-Month Joint Injection Conspiracy

[Wandering Eyes]

An 81-year-old Penn National-based veterinarian charged in February by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) with allegedly intentional, conspirational and repeated violations of intra-articular injection rules designed to safeguard the health of horses has consented to an “agreed order” of a lifetime ban of practicing medicine on Thoroughbreds covered by HISA.

Allen Post Bonnell, a veterinarian who has been practicing for 45 years, signed the consent order May 7, according to documentation provided by HISA.

Beyond his work as a veterinarian, Bonnell is barred from “participating in any activity” at a racetrack or training facility.

According to the consent order, Bonnell agreed to a stipulation that his acceptance of the lifetime ban resolves only the HISA charges against him, and that the penalty is separate from charges, “if any,” that might be issued by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU).

An investigation initially led by the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission last year had revealed that Bonnell allegedly conspired with 13 implicated trainers from May 2023 through November 2024 to administer intra-articular injections to the joints of Thoroughbreds within the prohibited stand-down periods, in direct violation of HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) and Racetrack Safety Programs.

According to the PSHRC investigative report that was later handed over to HISA, “Dr. Bonnell informed investigators that trainers will request his services for intra-articular injections because they know he will not report them as required, allowing them to run their horses during the time they should have been placed on the veterinarians list…

“Dr. Bonnell went on to [tell investigators] that he feels what he is doing is harmless and it just helps the horse with pain and inflammation. He said the reason he does not report it is that the injections he gives are worthless if it's done too far out because it eventually wears off. If he reports it and the horse is put on the veterinarians list for 14 days, it could be an additional 14 days to a month, even two months, before it runs in a race,” the PSHRC report stated.

In a November article published by the Paulick Report in the wake of Bonnell's summary suspension by the PSHRC, the veterinarian told Ray Paulick that he believes the “HISA rules are a nightmare” because they “don't make any sense.”

HISA disagreed, stating in a press release in February that of the more than 100 unique horses alleged to have breezed or raced in violation of HISA's intra-articular stand-down times, 30% never raced again, “strongly suggesting these injections were used to mask pain.”

Approximately 10% were observed to be lame post-race by a regulatory veterinarian. Three horses were euthanized as a direct result of injuries sustained in those races, HISA stated.

Under HISA's rules, horses treated with intra-articular injections are not permitted to race within 14 days or perform a workout within seven days of the treatment.

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