The Classic-winning trainer Ed Dunlop has been disqualified from racing for one year, with the penalty suspended for 12 months. His filly Lucidity tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine after finishing second in a race at Brighton on 4 July 2023.
The source of the positive for the Class A drug remains unknown, but while the British Horseracing Authority attaches no blame to Dunlop for its presence in the filly’s system, strict rules on liability required the independent disciplinary panel to impose a disqualification – or “warning off” – on the trainer, rather than simply a suspension of his licence. The disqualification will be activated if another significant breach of the anti-doping rules occurs in the next 12 months.
