The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) issued provisional suspensions to a pair of veterinarians based at Laurel Park in Maryland, according to rulings published on the HISA website on January 12.
Dr. Nicholas L. Meittinis and Dr. Adam J. Lockard, both members/partners in the Maryland Vet Group, were provisionally suspended for alleged violations of Rule 2271(a)(1), which prohibits “the use of physical or veterinary procedures to mask the effects or signs of injury so as to permit training or racing to the detriment of covered health and quality.”
Meittinis is the president of the North American Association of Racing Veterinarians, according to his personal Linked In page. Lockard has been appointed to the American Association of Equine Practitioners Racing Committee beginning in 2027.
HISA alleges MVG vets distributed “steroid paint” containing the banned substance pitcher plant extract (a pain-blocking substance also known as sarapin) to several covered horses since 2023.
The HISA filing also claims nine other prohibited substances were found during searches of MVG’s offices in Laurel Park and Delaware Park (full list below).
The interim suspension document says: “The widespread possession and/or distribution of these prohibited substances – substances that enhance performance, contain masking properties or have an adverse impact on the welfare of horses – by Covered Persons poses a serious and imminent risk to the health and welfare of covered horses and riders.”
A recipe for “steroid paint” (see above) was found when investigators from the Horse Racing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) raided MVG’s Delaware Park office on September 23, 2025: “1/3 bottle Pitcher Plant, 20 cc Dex 2 mg/ml, DMSO fills rest of bottle.”
During a subsequent inspection of MVG’s Laurel Park office on November 20, 2025, HIWU investigators asked Dr. Lockard to open a locked storage room. When Dr. Lockard complied, investigators found three unopened gallon jugs labeled “Topical Pitcher Plant,” as well as an open pitcher with the same label. Six one-liter bottles labeled “steroid paint” were also found.
MVG employees confirmed to HIWU investigators that the recipe found at Delaware Park on September 23rd for “steroid paint” was used to fill the one-liter bottles found at Laurel Park on November 20th. Investigators also found older copies of the recipe, also using sarapine.
Maryland Veterinary Group “paint on steroids”
Maryland Veterinary Group “steroid paint” prescription
Yarrow extract is a prohibited substance under the HISA Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program due to its analgesic, pain-relieving effects. According to HISA documents, the “steroid paint” may also have contained two additional banned substances that were listed on the label for gallon jugs of topical herbs: ammonium chloride and ammonium sulfate.
Additional substances were also found during the searches and tests are ongoing to determine if they contain prohibited substances.
The interim suspension was imposed on both Dr. Lockard and Meittinis effective at 12:00 p.m. (Eastern) on January 12, according to HISA filings. A temporary suspension means veterinarians will not be allowed any contact with the covered horses, although a determination about vet access to MVG’s office on the Laurel Park property will be up to the state commission, according to HISA rules.
A secretary for the Maryland Veterinary Group told the Paulick Report that both veterinarians were out of the office, and the person could not provide comment or contact information for either veterinarian.
The next step in the case is a temporary suspension hearing, which has not yet been scheduled. A disciplinary hearing will follow.
Potential penalties that veterinarians may face include those listed in Rule 8200, up to a lifetime ban, “as deemed appropriate by HISA in accordance with the seriousness of the violation.”
Full provisional suspension documents can be found here: Dr. Meittinis and Dr. Lockard.
Other banned substances found in MVG’s offices and in the vehicles of Dr Lockard and Meittinis included:
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two containers of Carolina Gold (GABA)
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a container of AMP-20% (adenosine 5-monophosphate)
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a container of Osphos (Bisphosphonate)
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Albuterol tablets (Albuterol can only be administered by inhaler and with a valid veterinary prescription; all other forms of administration of the substance are prohibited at all times and are considered prohibited substances)
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five containers of Trenbolone (anabolic steroid)
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four containers of aqueous testosterone
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a container of Winstrol Z (stanozolol)
This story was originally published by the Paulick Report on January 12, 2026, where it first appeared in News. Add the Paulick Report as a favorite source by clicking here.