Asian Master Disqualified from Victory After Testing Positive for Prohibited Substance

The seven-year-old horse has been successful under the current trainer Willie Mullins, winning a novice hurdle at Navan impressively. The horse is now a strong contender for the Supreme, with odds as short as 20-1 in the ante-post betting. The rider of the horse, Thomas Costello, achieved this victory, and the horse had previously been trained to win two point-to-points by Tony Costello.

The horse had also performed well in its first two starts under rules. However, the victory at Bellharbour came under scrutiny after a blood sample tested positive for dexamethasone, a prohibited substance with performance-enhancing effects. The trainer explained that the horse was suffering from inflammatory airway disease and was being treated with hyalusol through a nebuliser.

The committee accepted that cross-contamination could have occurred and disqualified the horse from the race but did not impose any running restrictions, considering that the substance was administered unknowingly and all reasonable precautions were taken. Another incident involved a ban imposed on a jockey for excessive use of the whip. The jockey provided evidence to support the corrective purposes of the additional strike, but the appeals body dismissed the action and confirmed the decision.

The jockey was fined €1,000 for a frivolous appeal and for misleading evidence.