Zarooni

Grey

Grey

Senior Jockey
Joined
Jul 4, 2004
Messages
9,484
Location
Dublin
Shocking stuff.


http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/news/article/465/8666240/dark-day-for-godolphin

Al Zarooni, who won the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster last year with Encke and has trained a whole host of big-race winners since joining Sheikh Mohammed's operation, told the Godolphin website he had made a "catastrophic error".


He said on www.godolphin.com: "I deeply regret what has happened. I have made a catastrophic error. Because the horses involved were not racing at the time, I did not realise that what I was doing was in breach of the rules of racing. I can only apologise for the damage this will cause to Godolphin and to racing generally."

A statement on the Godolphin website read: "Following an inspection of Zarooni's stable by officials from the BHA, traces of prohibited substances were discovered in a number of the horses tested, including Certify. The BHA has advised that, as a result, the filly will not be allowed to take part in the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket next month.

"Al Zarooni has admitted that he was responsible for the administration of the prohibited substances."

Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford said: "This is a dark day for Godolphin. We are all shocked by what has happened.

"His Highness Sheikh Mohammed was absolutely appalled when he was told and this is completely unacceptable to him. We will await the outcome of the BHA inquiry before taking any further internal action.

"Sheikh Mohammed has instructed me to begin an urgent review of all of our procedures and controls. That is already under way and we will take advice from the BHA in completing it."

Godolphin said no further comment would be made pending the completion of the BHA investigation and inquiry.
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ANY use of steroids in horse racing should be treated very severely. When I was in the US, one of the quoted drugs, Stanozolol (or Winstrel) was used widely and fillies used to come out rearing on their hind legs acting like full-blown stallions. Its also the drug Ben Johnson was found guilty of taking.
 
Raises some questions about a few previous performances,

Monterosso Dubai World Cup 2012 ?
Encke St Leger 2012?
Gladiatorius Dubai Duty Free 2009? (Zarooni was assistent to bin Shafya at the time)
 
I suspect Al Zarooni will be released with dignity, but released nonetheless. I just wonder if there will be wider repercussions from Sheikh Mo. Lack of integrity isn't exactly why he pours so much money into sport.
 
Will be fired for sure

The question is if
The horses go to suroor
To different trainers
Or to another dubian police
 
I find it very unlikely, and wonder if it is even possible in a structure like Godolphin's, that only Z would know what was going on?
 
chroniclandlord said:
Raises some questions about a few previous performances,

Monterosso Dubai World Cup 2012 ?
Encke St Leger 2012?
Gladiatorius Dubai Duty Free 2009? (Zarooni was assistent to bin Shafya at the time)
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Remember when two of Bin Shafya's endurance horses (owned by Sheikh Mohammed) got done (for stanozolol!) just after that 2009 World Cup night?
 
Horses given the drug 3 months ago, weren't in his care at the time the drug was given and it was used to improve condition to sell on. That is the accepted defense for a reduced sentence for using stanozolol (courtesy of Kevin Tork).

Martin
 
Ken Payne was using steroids like this in the 1970s everyone knew then it was banned and just as bad as using it at the time a horse was in actual training .

Zaronni's ignorance is utterly astonishing and how could vets employed by such an organisation not have known this ?

It is unfathomable how this could have happened .
 
This reeks to high heaven. I sincerely hope it's not the start of a cycling "everyone was at it" type scenario. We bought 4 yearlings at the sales four years ago. One by a first season sire was a fine big muscular type. He fell away to nothing within 3 weeks of being brought home - definitely on steroids...
 
On The Bridle said:
This reeks to high heaven. I sincerely hope it's not the start of a cycling "everyone was at it" type scenario. We bought 4 yearlings at the sales four years ago. One by a first season sire was a fine big muscular type. He fell away to nothing within 3 weeks of being brought home - definitely on steroids...
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It can be a thin line.The big stables have the best vets.
 
On The Bridle said:
This reeks to high heaven. I sincerely hope it's not the start of a cycling "everyone was at it" type scenario. We bought 4 yearlings at the sales four years ago. One by a first season sire was a fine big muscular type. He fell away to nothing within 3 weeks of being brought home - definitely on steroids...
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Re your yearling - might there not be an argument as well as actual blood sampling at the sales for horses to be weighed? I know scene changes etc can cause weight loss but a very dramatic weight loss accompanied by muscle loss as well if properly documented should result in the vendor (or more likely his agent if prep yard was used) being required to account for it? Prep yearlings wouldn't really be subject to dramatic losses just because they've been bought - they've probably already gone from field to yard, shipped to preppers, shipped to the Sales complex - one more move ain't gonna make much of a difference!

Producing and selling ped bulls as we do, we always weigh them before they leave - they'd automatically get weighed if they went through the sale ring. We warrant all our bulls for fertility and we get the odd chancer who tries it on - usually because they buy a young bull, ignore our conditions of sale that bull is limited to a small number of cows for first few months while he learns his trade, chucks him in with a yard or field full of cows and then new owner wonders why he's dropped flesh, is knackered, probably lame or has pulled back muscles jumping every cow he sees and goes temporarily infertile..... That's when weighing before they go is vital (and we fertility test as well!) - interesting how they try and account for a weight loss in excess of 100kg in a few short weeks.....
 
I am so angry, admittedly my certify bets were looking dodgy but now I have no chance!!! He can't be allowed to claim ignorance, as you point out the vets would have known. So cross I could stamp my foot!!!
 
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