Two-year wait for Coltrane disqualification 'regrettable' says the BHA

A two-year wait for the disqualification of Coltrane from a handicap at Newmarket in 2020, due to the presence of prohibited substances in his system, has been described as “regrettable” by the BHA.

A post-race urine sample collected from Coltrane after his victory on August 8, 2020 showed traces for banned raceday substances morphine and codeine, with analysis of the paper bedding also returning “minute” positives for “morphine, codeine and other traces of medication licensed for use in horses.”

Trainer Andrew Balding was unable to explain how Coltrane had come to have traces of painkillers in his system, and described himself as “bewildered” when informed of the test results for the paper bedding.