TOP TRAINER ESCAPES BAN OVER DOPING
TRAINER Hughie Morrison has expressed his relief after avoiding a ban following the disciplinary hearing into how his filly Our Little Sister tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid at Wolverhampton in January.
But Morrison, who trains around 80 horses at East Ilsley near Newbury, reiterated his concern that a third party who he argued doped his filly in a malicious act has not been caught.
The independent BHA panel decided on the balance of probabilities that Morrison had not been involved in injecting the drug nandrolone lautate, the source of the anabolic steroid nandrolone, but imposed a £1,000 fine on him.
Morrison said: ‘I am delighted that the disciplinary panel has concluded that I was not involved with the administration of this steroid. I cannot overstate the stress that has been caused by this long-running case for me, my wife, all my staff and connections and the relief now felt having been rightly and so comprehensively exonerated.’
The panel came to their conclusion despite concurring with Dr Mark Dunnett, the scientific expert brought in by Morrison, that the doping injection likely took place at Morrison’s stable before Christmas 2016. In doing so, they rejected the theory put forward that the filly could have been doped at Southwell on January 2, where lost CCTV evidence of the stable area reflected badly on the BHA.
The result is a blow to the BHA, whose principle of strict liability means a trainer is held responsible for a substance found in his horse unless he can prove someone outside his control administered it.
Morrison (below) insisted that he had no motive to dope a modest filly who finished last at Wolverhampton in a race with no suspicious betting patterns.
That was accepted by the panel, chaired by Brian Barker QC, who rejected the BHA’s assertion that Morrison’s protestations of ‘ his innocence through expensive legal and scientific investigations’ had been an ‘elaborate charade’.
They also took into account Morrison’s unblemished 20-year career. But the panel said there was no evidence to suggest the malicious act had been carried out by disgruntled former employees, travellers or a hostile neighbour — all suggested.
The panel dismissed as ‘ ludicrous’ the assertion that Herefordshire trainer Imogen Pickard and her former partner Jonny Flook had been responsible for the doping injection, because of a dispute with a third party.
They said it was ‘regrettable’ her name had been dragged into the case as a result of information prompted by a £10,000 reward offered by Morrison.
Jamie Stier, chief regulatory officer for the BHA, said: ‘British racing has a zero- tolerance policy towards the use of anabolic steroids. We must have a level playing field
with integrity.’
IN seasons past, trainer Nicky Henderson has delivered with Santalike regularity in the last race before the Christmas break and VERDANA BLUE (Ascot, 3.35) could enhance his fine record today. The Seven Barrows handler holds a strong hand in the festive finale with both the selection and Charli Parcs who should improve immeasurably for an encouraging comeback at Newbury in a falsely-run race. He is a tough horse to knock and he may well have won on his return but for some moderate hurdling at a crucial time. However, he is priced accordingly and the manner of Verdana Blue’s course and distance victory marked her as a horse to keep onside for a race of this nature. The Getaway mare was knocked sideways early on last time by an errant rival before recovering to travel strongly and scamper clear of some useful rivals in the straight. A strong gallop at two miles is the optimum condition and she is starting to gain a very useful record going right handed so could prove the answer in the race. Chesterfield didn’t cut much ice on his comeback at Cheltenham, but I have a feeling his connections were always eyeing a repeat tilt at this race and may reward a tilt at a big price for value seekers.