A trainer is expected to be charged next month concerning a scandal involving the use of cobalt as a performance-enhancing substance in a horse, The Times understands.
Neither the identity of the individual nor the horse allegedly involved are being revealed at this stage but the case would be a first for the sport in this country as the British Horseracing Authority moves to combat the use of prohibited substances and root out cheats.
Cobalt, which is banned in Britain, is produced naturally at low levels in horses. Excessive doses administered through feed and other supplements or by injection can provide a significant boost to performance.
Cobalt has been proved to stimulate the production of erythropoietin, or EPO, and red blood cells in mammals and explains why some people have turned to it as a potential performance- enhancer in horses. With greater blood-cell production comes better endurance and decreased muscle fatigue. There have been several cases of its use in Australia in recent years.
There are potentially dangerous side-effects when cobalt is administered in excessive doses, among them shaking, trembling and sweating in horses, and it can cause laminitis, a painful inflammatory hoof condition.
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Meanwhile the investigation into the alleged doping of Anseanachai Cliste at this year’s Cheltenham Festival is continuing. The horse, trained by Stephen McConville in Northern Ireland, had to be withdrawn from the Foxhunter Chase at Prestbury Park on the orders of the stewards in March after a security check allegedly discovered a blood-covered syringe in a bag in the nine-year-old horse’s box. It is understood that a hearing will take place next month in what is said to be an extremely complex case.