The Queen’s Estimate has been disqualified from her second-place finish in
this year’s Gold Cup as a result of a morphine and oripavine positive related to
contaminated feed. Estimate was one of eight horses caught up in Britain’s
morphine saga over the summer, with the other six involved in Thursday’s hearing
also disqualified. One more case — that of trainer Eve Houghton-Johnson — is
still to be heard.
Because of the nature of the source of the morphine, Estimate’s trainer, Sir
Michael Stoute, was not penalized, nor were any of the other trainers — Barry
and Charlie Hills, Gay Kelleway and Tony Carroll — with horses affected.
John Warren, racing manager to The Queen, described the British Horseracing
Authority’s investigation as “thorough and fair.”
“Following today’s meeting of the disciplinary panel of the British
Horseracing Authority, we totally accept in full the panel’s findings,” Warren
said. “We are grateful to the BHA for its thorough and fair investigation, which
concluded that the positive samples from seven horses, including Estimate, were
the result of a contaminated batch of feed from an independent supplier.
“We also welcome the BHA’s recognition that the five respective trainers, who
include Sir Michael Stoute, took all reasonable precautions to avoid breaching
the Rules of Racing, and that the accidental administration of a prohibited
substance was in no way the fault of those connected to the horses.”
The morphine and oripavine positives are expected to have stemmed from poppy
seeds that contaminated a feed product produced by feed company Dodson & Horrell.
Barry Hills suggested he could take legal action against the feed suppliers.
“I haven’t spoken to anyone else, but that would seem to be the sensible
thing to do,” he said. “Owners need compensation for things like transport, and
other bits and pieces.”
Jamie Stier, the BHA’s director of raceday operations and regulation, said,
“It was BHA’s position in the hearing that the source of the positive samples
for morphine and oripavine was a contaminated batch of feed and that in the
circumstances the trainers took all reasonable precautions to avoid breaching
the Rules of Racing. As such BHA submitted that no penalty should be imposed on
the trainers; however, in accordance with the Rules of Racing, the horses
involved should be disqualified from the relevant races. The disciplinary panel
today agreed this position.”
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