London, Apr 24 (ANI): Horse racing was also not spared from the scandal of doping which has engulfed other major sports, after a top horse trainer had admitted that he had given banned steroids to 11 thoroughbreds. The horses, winners of more than 1.3 million pounds in prize money , are all from the highly successful British stables of the Godolphin racing empire ownedby Dubai`s wealthy ruler Sheikh Mohammed, the Mirror reports. Although the trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni admitted that he had made a ‘catastrophic error’ by giving anabolic steroids like ethylestrenol and stanozolol to the horses, he, however said he did not realise that what he had done was against the rules as the horses involved were not racing at that time. The report further said that Al Zarooni will face a British Horseracing Authority (BHA) inquiry and an almost inevitable ban from the sport if he is found guilty. BHA director Adam Brickell said that ethylestrenol and stanozolol are anabolic steroids and are therefore prohibited substances under British rules of racing, at any time – either in training or racing. According to Godolphin sources, the stable will await the outcome of the BHA probe before taking any action against Al Zarooni. The report further said that the steroids were found during random tests this month on 45 racehorses at the stables in Suffolk. The doped horses are star filly Certify, last year`s Ascot Gold Cup runner-up Opinion Poll, Fair Hill, Ghostflower, Orkney Island, Sweet Rose, Valley Of Queens, and Bathrat Amal, the report added. (ANI)
