French trainer Georgios Alimpinisis handed 12-month ban for 'serious shortcomings' in veterinary treatment of horses

Chantilly-based Georgios Alimpinisis has been banned from holding a training licence for 12 months by France Galop stewards, after being found guilty of medication violations during the winter meeting at Cagnes-sur-Mer. 

Alimpinisis has four working days to consider an appeal against the findings of a three-person stewards' panel, whose report described "serious shortcomings" in the veterinary regime for his horses at Cagnes.

The trainer is perhaps best known internationally for the victory of Gagarin's Moon at Longchamp last year, a race made famous for Ian Bartlett's incredulous commentary as the winner was allowed to build a huge lead under jockey Sylvain Ruis.

One of the central charges surrounded the alleged continuation of a course of intravenous antibiotic injections until four days before Eternal Optimist ran third at Cagnes on January 20.

In a separate incident on January 22, a France Galop employee witnessed Sofia Angelopoulou – Alimpinisis' partner and vet – enter box 44 at the racecourse stables with a syringe, although no prescription could be produced for any treatment requiring an injection for Naishan, the horse who occupied that stall throughout the meeting. 

In her written statement Angelopoulou denied administering any injection on January 22, but the panel found her actions to be "opaque", adding they "could not be tolerated as they constituted a very grave act".

Alimpinisis and his legal team argued that in the case of Eternal Optimist, the course of injections had been halted once the decision had been taken to run on January 20 and that the proper withdrawal period had therefore been observed. 

But the stewards found "no compelling evidence" to support the claim that the treatment had not been followed to the end date as noted on the prescription. 

In addition Angelopoulou kept her veterinary supplies in an adjoining stable, although no written authorisation had been sought for such an arrangement, while the panel also highlighted that Alimpinisis had been fined earlier this year for less serious infractions which led to the disqualification of one of his horses.

The 11 horses from the Alimpinisis yard stabled at Cagnes were subject to testing on February 3 and all returned negative results for any banned substance.

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