Irish trainer fined after his horse failed a doping test because he peed in its bed

You have to say one thing for trainer William Treacy.

His reason for his horse Fethard Player failing a doping test was certainly original, but it has landed the Irish trainer with a £1,000 fine from the the British Horse Racing Authority today. The BHA has published it's findings into how the drug Tramadol was found in a urine sample taken from the horse, after the mount came home second in the One Stop Energy Handicap Hurdle at Aintree last April. However Treacy had a perfectly acceptable explanation for the failed test, as he told the BHA that because of taking a drug for arthritis he often had to pee in the horses bedding in the morning and that's how the drug may have found itself into the horse's system.

"Mr Treacy recounted that he was on medication, called Zydol for arthritic pain, the active ingredient in Zydol is tramadol." "Mr Treacy stated that he took Zydol first thing in the morning and then he would attend his stable yard whereby the first thing that he would do was to give Fethard Player an apple." "Also, due to the effect that the drug had on him, he would sometimes urinate on the straw in Feathard Player's stable."

The BHA accepted Treacy's version of events and slapped the trainer with a £1000 fine while also disqualifying the horse from the race.

"After considering the evidence, and in the absence of any other explanation, the Panel formed the opinion that the source of the tramadal was as a result of cross-contamination from Mr Treacy’s prescribed medication."

https://twitter.com/SamPreen/status/647074276978368512