Elliott fined over horse's positive drugs test

Gordon Elliott admitted breaching rules but says he was unsure why the banned raceday substance was in the horse's system

Irish trainer Gordon Elliott has been fined £1,000 over a positive drugs test for one of his horses at last year's Cheltenham Festival.

The horse tested positive post-race for 3-hydroxylidocaine, a metabolite of lidocaine, used in racing stables as a local anaesthetic.

A disciplinary panel heard it may have been caused by cross-contamination.

The source of the substance, which is banned on raceday, had not been found at Elliott's yard, among his staff or in his horse feed.

Elliott faced an independent panel after being referred by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), whose lawyer Charlotte Davison called it "a mystery case".

Rory MacNiece, representing Elliott, said the substance was most likely to have been ingested during the four days the horse spent at the racecourse stables after travelling over from Ireland.

"I accept that responsibility lies with Mr Elliott, I don't accept that includes posting a guard beside his horses 24 hours a day to stop someone giving it a pat or letting them lick their hand," he said.

Saint Roi, who originally finished fourth in the race for trainer Willie Mullins, will be promoted to third.

Elliott missed the 2021 Cheltenham Festival as he served a 12-month ban, with the last six months suspended. He was found guilty of bringing the sport into disrepute after being pictured sitting on a dead horse.

He was fined 1,000 euros by Irish racing officials in 2018 after a post-race sample on his horse Timiyan was found to contain the anti-inflammatory medication triamcinolone acetonide, which had not cleared his system by raceday.