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Henderson is hit with record £40,000 fine
Nicky Henderson is unable to make entries for three months and has been fined £40,000 over the Moonlit Path case.
The leading National Hunt trainer was found guilty last Monday of using a prohibited substance on The Queen's mare at Huntingdon in February.
Henderson attended a personal hearing on Thursday evening, when pleas of mitigation were entered to a British Horseracing Authority panel, and learned of his punishment yesterday morning.
The 58-year-old handler faced a possible disqualification from the training ranks, but will instead be unable to run any of his horses from July 11 to October 10.
He has also been hit with a record fine imposed on any British trainer.
A BHA panel, chaired by Tim Charlton QC, concluded that disqualifying Henderson was not warranted but also that a fine was not enough.
The punishment handed out means Henderson can continue to employ his workforce, and that owners can keep their horses with them if they wish.
If owners want to run their horses during his suspension, they must be entered by, and put into the care of, another trainer.
In making its decision, the panel also took into account various factors, including the fact the substance was administered by an experienced vet whom Henderson considered as an adviser – and also that the substance is unlikely to act as a performance enhancer.
Also considered was Henderson's contribution to the sport and his charitable activities.
Henderson's 40,000 fine is twice that of the previous record penalty of 20,000 imposed on Michael Wigham in February 2008.
Moonlit Path finished sixth in the TurfTV Mares' Novices' Hurdle on February 19, after which she tested positive for tranexamic acid, an anti-bleeding drug, which contravened BHA Rule 200.
The race was won by stablemate Ravello Bay.
Henderson had admitted to three of the four charges he faced, but denied any wrongdoing in relation to Rule 200, which governs administering or attempting to administer a prohibited substance.
Henderson has always maintained the medication was used "in the interests of the horse's welfare" and not to improve performance. The Lambourn trainer has the right to appeal.
Moonlit Path was making her racecourse debut at Huntingdon, after which the Horseracing Forensic Laboratory discovered the banned substance.
The five-year-old mare has since run three times, without success.
Henderson has twice been champion National Hunt trainer in a 31-year career and enjoyed a superb 2008-09 campaign.
The Seven Barrows handler accrued over 2m in prize-money, and won the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival with Punjabi.
He also registered a Royal Ascot winner last month, when Caracciola landed the Queen Alexandra Stakes. The BHA's public relations officer Paul Struthers said: "Any serious inquiry like this is very difficult for the panel.
"Breaches of Rule 200 are very serious, but what they have to take into account is the ways in which it can be breached.
"The treatment wasn't recorded in the horse's record-book and they concluded there was an attempt to hide the fact the horse had been given this substance."
Sea The Stars can emulate the great Nashwan today by taking the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown after landing the 2000 Guineas and Derby, writes The Duke.
John Oxx's brilliant colt swerved the Irish Derby last weekend because of the fears of soft ground and connections would not want any further rain before today's Group 1 event.
Mick Kinane rode the son of Cape Cross with the utmost confidence at Epsom and his mount was always travelling comfortably.
His power-packed burst of speed inside the last quarter of the great classic was far too much for the Aidan O'Brien hordes, headed by subsequent Curragh hero Fame And Glory, and it is difficult to see how Ballydoyle's Rip Van Winkle can overturn the form.
Conduit, who Yorkshire racing fans saw landing the
St Leger last year, followed up in the Breeders' Cup Turf over 1m4f and made a sparkling return to action in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes over today's track and trip, just failing to hold the late thrust of today's rival Cima De Triomphe, who was receiving 7lbs.
With that race under his belt, and a quick gallop assured by the Ballydoyle pacemakers, Conduit looks the main threat to Sea The Stars but it will be a surprise if this year's three-year-old champion is beaten.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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