Jim Boyle: described the doping allegations as "ludicrous" on Monday
PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)Jim Boyle denies BHA milkshake charge
JIM BOYLE on Monday become only the second British-based trainer to be chargedby the BHA in connection with a doping offence involving sodium bicarbonate - colloquially known as 'milkshaking'.
Boyle, who described the allegations as "ludicrous", faces a three-day inquiry next month after New Den tested positive for a prohibitive substance at Lingfield on April 6 last year.
The Epsom trainer, who is also a qualified vet, said: "I'm deeply saddened that the BHA has seen fit to bring these allegations against me as I gave a full and frank explanation of the circumstances from day one. Anyone who knows me will realise how utterly ludicrous these allegations are."
The theorybehind the use of sodium bicarbonate to improve performance is that it helps to counteract the build-up of lactic acid in muscle, which leads to fatigue during exercise. It can also mask the presence of other performance-enhancing drugs.
Trainer Matt Gingell was warned off for two years in 2009 after the BHA found him guilty of a doping offence involving sodium bicarbonate.
