Drugs hit dog race

For the first time in the history of the world’s most famous sled dog race, several of the high-performance animals have tested positive for a prohibited drug. But race officials have refused to name the musher involved. Several dogs tested positive for the opioid pain reliever Tramadol, the governing board of the nearly 1600km Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race said in a statement. The team was tested six hours after finishing the race in Nome in March, officials said. They estimate the drug could have been administered between 15 hours before the test and right before it. Iditarod spokesman Chas St George said the musher’s name is not being released based on an attorney’s advice. He said the musher also has not been named because of the likelihood that race organisers could not prove the musher intentionally administered the drug.