BHA says six-year wait to conclude Euginio positive-test case is 'regrettable' as trainer Richard Hannon receives no penalty

The BHA said on Thursday it was “regrettable” it had taken more than six years for a conclusion to be reached following a positive post-race test by the Richard Hannon-trained Euginio.

Euginio tested positive for a metabolite of the prohibited painkiller tramadol after winning the Group 3 Darley Stakes at Newmarket on October 13, 2018. The horse was disqualified from the race on November 30, 2020 but a hearing involving the trainer only took place on Thursday.

The disciplinary panel agreed to a plea arrangement between Hannon and the BHA over the positive test, with the trainer receiving no penalty. The prize-money and associated assets from the 2018 contest had already been redistributed.

The Euginio case is one of a number of disciplinary hearings that have taken multiple years to conclude. In September, the Hannon-trained Etonian was disqualified from the 2020 Solario Stakes at Sandown having also tested positive for tramadol, with the trainer receiving no penalty after the panel determined he had taken all reasonable steps to prevent a positive test.

In March, the BHA also concluded the six-year case involving Dan Skelton and a group of owners who had alleged the trainer had held a secret share in the horse George Gently when he was sold to them in 2016. Skelton was fined £6,000 for attempting to mislead the regulator.

Asked why the case involving Euginio had taken 74 months to reach a conclusion, a BHA spokesman said: “It is regrettable that this case has taken as long as it has to reach its conclusion. We always seek to resolve matters as quickly as possible in the best interests of all parties but complex cases of this nature, with multiple parties involved, can require a considerable amount of work to investigate thoroughly and can therefore take longer to close.”

The BHA said that the majority of the disciplinary logjam had been cleared, and the spokesman added: “The BHA’s regulatory team has worked hard to clear a backlog of cases over recent years and we can confirm that there is one pre-2022 case outstanding, which we expect to reach a conclusion in the first half of next year.”

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