Sabotage by former staff member ‘likely cause’ of two positive dope tests
A former staff member admitted crushing banned drugs and putting them into horses’ feed troughs
“Intentional sabotage” by a disgruntled former employee who admitted crushing up drugs and putting them in horses’ feed troughs is the “likely cause” of two horses failing dope tests at the same event, an FEI Tribunal has found.
Freesia De Lap AA and Divine Du Vialaret both tested positive for atenolol, a prescription beta blocker primarily used to treat high blood pressure in humans, at an endurance competition in Dubai (28 to 31 January). Atenolol is on the FEI’s banned substance list, so is not permitted for use in competition horses at any time.
The FEI brought cases against the horses’ riders and trainers, who all represent Bahrain. These are Muhammad Abbas Khalid, who trains 11-year-old mare Freesia De Lap AA, and rider HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa; and Abdulrahman Mohamed Al Saad, trainer of nine-year-old mare Divine Du Vialaret, and rider Mohamed Abdulsamad Al Bastaki.
The trainers and riders explained that once they were notified of the failed drugs test, the Bahrain royal endurance team tested all feed and supplements given to the horses in the days leading up to it. Around 28 products were tested, and all were negative for all banned substances.
The horses had travelled to the venue from Al Awasef Stables on 29 January, and the investigation found that a former employee of Al Awasef Stables, Izhar Ul Haq, was seen at the property the same day.
“When questioned by police, Mr Ul Haq admitted entering the stables without authorisation, deliberately crushing 15 atenolol tablets (IP 50mg), and placing them in the feed trough of three horses [...] as an act of revenge for his dismissal,” stated the trainers and riders’ submission.
It added that the feed troughs included those belonging to Freesia De Lap AA and Divine Du Vialaret, and that in April, Mr Ul Haq was convicted in court and sentenced to a year in prison and deportation, a conviction upheld by an appeal court two weeks later. The FEI Tribunal reports state that the riders and trainers “submitted that the Atenolol detected [...] more likely than not resulted from intentional sabotage by the former employee”.
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The FEI accepted that the riders and trainers had established “on the balance of probabilities” how the drug came to be in the horses’ systems, and agreed a settlement on 8 June.
The FEI concluded that while the horses must be disqualified from the event, the riders and trainers “bore no fault or negligence”, and that they would not be fined.
The settlement went before the FEI Tribunal’s one-person hearing panel, and it was accepted.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.