chroniclandlord
Senior Jockey
The press conference was a disgrace.
Zarooni
- Thread starter Grey
- Start date
The press conference was a disgrace.
EC1
On a break
Steve..can't they just turn up at any stable and test...didn't they do that to Pipe or have i got it wrong?
Or the American 2yos!
Indeed
chroniclandlord
Senior Jockey
Very good news.
It seems the Australian move to ban steroids completely in racehorses has exposed the hole in European rules on the issue, concerning horses in pre-training or out of training.
Paul Bittar to investigate blanket ban on steroids in British racing
• Australian move takes British Horseracing Authority by surprise
• Number of details need to be clarified before following suit
- Greg Wood
- The Guardian, Monday 16 September 2013 19.10 BST
Paul Bittar, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, was taken by surprise by Australian announcement. Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images
Paul Bittar, the chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, said on Monday that the regulator will investigate whether it will be able to follow the lead set by the Australian Racing Board and introduce a blanket ban on the use of anabolic steroids in horses both in and out of competition.
The ARB announced on Monday morning that it will prohibit the use of steroids in all thoroughbreds older than six months from 1 November, while penalties for a breach will come into force on 1 May 2014, to allow horses previously treated with steroids a period for the drugs, and their potential performance-enhancing effects, to clear their systems.
Previously steroids have been illegal in Australia only if they are still present in the horse's system on the day of a race and many trainers have admitted using the drugs both in and out of training.
Anabolic steroids boost a horse's metabolism, promoting muscle growth and general wellbeing, which tends to increase both their strength and speed. In addition to performance-enhancing effects during a race this can also enable a trainer to exercise a horse more regularly and strenuously beforehand.
These beneficial effects can also persist for many weeks after the steroid itself has left a horse's system. Increased muscle bulk laid down as a result of the anabolic effect of the drug, for instance, could remain for several months as long as the horse is in regular work.
"The ban on anabolic steroids goes far beyond any other racing jurisdiction outside Europe and was decided by the ARB after lengthy consideration of veterinary and scientific advice and consultation with trainers' and owners' associations," Peter McGauran, the chief executive of ARB, said on Monday.
"The ARB has adopted a zero tolerance policy to the use of anabolic steroids in competition, training and spelling [pre-training] and will institute heavy penalties for breaches of the ban."
Differing attitudes to the use of steroids in racing jurisdictions around the world were highlighted earlier this year as a result of the Godolphin doping scandalat Moulton Paddocks in Newmarket, where Mahmood al-Zarooni was found to have used the anabolic steroids stanozolol and nitrotain to dope at least 22 of his horses.
However, the speed and above all the scope of the Australian reaction to the scandal has come as a surprise to many, including Bittar.
"It's a very positive move and a significant move for Australian racing given their current and previous position," Bittar said. "I was hopeful that it [the Zarooni scandal] could bring about some movement towards harmonisation but I wasn't expecting Australia to go that far, that quickly."
Australian racing is more localised than its British counterpart, and centred around the major tracks in Sydney and Melbourne. As a result, a blanket ban on steroids should prove more straightforward to implement and uphold than would a similar ban in Britain, where stables are scattered across the country and the BHA can regulate only licensed training premises.
"There are still a number of details which need to be clarified," Bittar said. "The [ban on steroids in] pre-training one is an interesting one. In Australia a lot of pre-training is done by licensed trainers, which is quite different from here, where it tends to happen in non-licensed areas.
"It's a question I've posed to Jamie Stier [the BHA's director of regulation]. It's a bit of an unknown for us and something that he will work through. The question is, can you regulate it? What I wouldn't want to do is put something in the rules that we then weren't able to regulate.
"We might have a purist view about it but can it work in our racing structure? Can we regulate it? That's where we're at and what we're looking at."
The Australian move will also give fresh impetus to the movement for a global standard on the use of drugs in racing, which will be discussed at the annual conference of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities in Paris in early October.
"I think what you will see on an international basis is minimum standards set out, and certain jurisdictions will be either at that level or above," Bittar said. "There may well be cultural aspects in individual jurisdictions which mean that it is easier to manage.
"Whatever they decide they want to do in Hong Kong, for example, they will know that they will be able to control that, and that may not have application for Britain or Ireland because of the nature of it."
More from today's Guardian:
Sheikh Mohammed launches inquiry after police seize drugs from Dubai jet
• Haul of 'toxic' and unlicensed goods seized at Stansted airport
• Godolphin owner's wife Princess Haya to lead investigation
- James Riach
- The Guardian, Sunday 29 September 2013 19.04 BST
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the owner of Godolphin, Birtain's largest Flat racing operation. Photograph: Caren Firouz/Reuters
An illegal shipment of unlicensed veterinary goods was seized from a Dubai government private jet by UK authorities at Stansted airport earlier this year, causing Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UK's leading owner of racehorses, to launch an internal investigation into his equine operations.
Thousands of pounds worth of unlicensed products – including steroidal injections, anaesthetics and anti-inflammatories that have been described as "potentially toxic and dangerous to horses" – were seized and destroyed by the UK Border Agency and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate on 3 May at 7pm following the arrival of a Dubai Royal Air Wing flight. Sheikh Mohammed is monarch of the gulf emirate, as well as the owner of Godolphin, the country's largest Flat racing operation.
Her Highness Princess Haya, the sheikh's junior wife and president of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, has been ordered to conduct a thorough investigation into the seizure at the airport and a separate raid by the VMD last month at Moorley Farm in Newmarket, a location owned by his Darley Management operation, where a number of similar products were found.
The Guardian understands Sheikh Mohammed is extremely concerned at the development which comes only months after his Godolphin thoroughbred operation was rocked by the biggest doping scandal in racing history.
The shipment seized at Stansted, reportedly labelled incorrectly as "horse tack", did not include any anabolic steroids. However, there were significant quantities of goods understood to be for use on endurance horses and the VMD, in conjunction with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, is investigating the matter. A full inventory of the seized products has been seen by the Guardian and forwarded to Godolphin and the British Horseracing Authority. Neither would confirm its accuracy.
A spokesman for Princess Haya told the Guardian: "Nobody seems to know in the organisation who is buying what or where. That's one of the reforms that they want in place. We're trying to find out what happened, why it happened and to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Keith Chandler, the president of the British Equine Veterinary Association, said some of the products seized at Stansted were potentially dangerous to horses and should be "kept under lock and key in a safe", while the VMD stated that the medicines "were not authorised in the UK and had not been imported in accordance with the regulations".
Chandler said: "Some of these medicines are not only toxic if they are misused but they are potentially dangerous to the horses. They really are medicines that should not be on the premises of any horse owner, no matter how experienced.
"They definitely should not, under absolutely no circumstances whatsoever, be found on an owner's premises. There are powerful sedatives and anaesthetics on the list, there are powerful painkillers and one of the products is toxic and dangerous to humans as well. They are clearly being used to treat and medicate horses."
Among the products seized at Stansted were 100 Tildren injections, a substance that is used by vets for horses with bone problems. "This is not just a matter of importing a few horse warmers, this was a considerable operation in terms of importing medicines," Chandler said. "These medicines should be kept under lock and key in a safe."
Princess Haya's spokesman insisted that Sheikh Mohammed was unaware of the presence of the pharmaceuticals on the flight from Dubai on 3 May or the raid at Moorley Farm until now. "I can assure you that Sheikh Mohammed was not aware of any such products in the cargo of any Dubai Royal Air Wing flight into Stansted on that date," he said.
It is the second time this year that Sheikh Mohammed's operations have been engulfed in controversy. In April the disgraced former Godolphin trainer Mahmood al-Zarooni was banned for eight years by the BHA after using anabolic steroids on 22 racehorses at Moulton Paddocks in Newmarket. The BHA insists the Stansted seizure was not related to racing, citing assurances given by the VMD.
Sheikh Mohammed said he was "appalled and angered" by Zarooni's actions, with a swiftly completed BHA report declaring that the trainer acted "autonomously" and that the doping programme was the work of a rogue individual rather than a collective operation.
Princess Haya, who will step down as president of the FEI in November 2014 after the conclusion of her second four-year term in the role, sent out a directive on 12 September to the major components of Sheikh Mohammed's equine operation, including Darley and Godolphin, to establish a centralised auditing system in order to maintain control over the purchase and movement of veterinary goods.
On Tuesday she will meeton Tuesday Lord Stevens, the former Metropolitan police chief who also headed the FEI Clean Sport Commission, to discuss her investigation.
On 7 August the VMD, an agency within the government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, seized 124 products from Moorley Farm in Newmarket. Jaume Punti Dachs, a Spanish endurance trainer based at the stable who has trained horses for Sheikh Mohammed and is also a member of the FEI endurance committee, said there was no "wilful or careless wrongdoing at his yard" and that the products were "all substances you can buy in the UK".
However, in a directive seen by the Guardian, Princess Haya has called on all individuals at various organisations within the hierarchy of Sheikh Mohammed's endurance and racing structure "to ensure that there is no breach of regulations". She wrote: "I wish for all managers to accept the responsibilities that their position bestows on them and to ensure that all efforts are made to protect the good name of the Maktoum family at all times."
Michele Verroken, the director of Sporting Integrity and former head of ethics at UK Anti-Doping, believes Princess Haya must find out which members of the Sheikh's organisation were responsible for the infringement and "hold them accountable". She said: "This reminds us that continued vigilance to counter illegal importation is essential to prevent sport being corrupted. Customs and border agencies make a major contribution to the enforcement of sports' rules as well as national laws.
"As president of the FEI, Princess Haya, has an important role to pursue the truth, to find who is responsible and to hold them accountable."
The BHA insists there is no link between the seizure at either Stansted or Moorley Farm and the racing industry.
Adam Brickell, the BHA's director of integrity, legal and risk, said: "The BHA was notified of the seizure of veterinary care products, some of which are not licensed for use in the UK. Defra have confirmed to the BHA that they consider there to be no link between the seizure and the racing industry and that the products were not intended for use on thoroughbreds."
The veterinary products seized at Stansted were from a private jet from Dubai which landed on 3 May, the day before Dawn Approach won the 2000 Gns.
Sheikh Mohammed hit by new blow in grim year for Godolphin ruler
The leading owner in British racing has been rocked by doping revelations centred on the disgraced trainer Mahmood al-Zarooni
- James Riach
- The Guardian, Sunday 29 September 2013 19.14 BST
Mahmood al-Zarooni, centre, leaving a British Horseracing Authority disciplinary hearing following his ban. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA
Sheikh Mohammed was caught up in the euphoria of Dawn Approach's victory in the 2,000 Guineas when Clare Balding coaxed him into a live TV interview on 4 May. "I always face certain … challenges," he told the Channel 4 presenter, speaking in the aftermath of the biggest doping scandal in racing history that rocked his Godolphin thoroughbred operation to its very core. Just 24 hours earlier a shipment of veterinary goods flown in by a Dubai Air Wing jet had been seized and destroyed at Stansted Airport, 30 miles from Newmarket.
The sheikh quickly receded into his entourage when Balding pressed him on the British Horseracing Authority's decision to ban his former trainer Mahmood al-Zarooni for eight years following his use of anabolic steroids on a total of 22 Godolphin horses. However, five months later his equine operations face further serious questions around doping controls.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate, which made the seizure at Stansted along with UK Border Force and a later raid on Moorley Farm where similar products were found, reportedly acted on prior intelligence. An investigation is continuing but the intended destination of the drugs found at Stansted has yet to be confirmed.
The seizure was recorded at 7pm on Friday 3 May, from a private jet. Four private aircraft landed at Stansted on that day and a Border Force spokesman confirmed to the Guardian that the seizure in question was made on a plane that departed from Dubai. It is not known whether Sheikh Mohammed was on board that flight but a spokesman for his junior wife, Princess Haya, insisted the Sheikh knew nothing of the seizure until recently.
The BHA remains confident that the finds by the VMD are unrelated to racing and not connected to the training or upkeep of any thoroughbreds. The authority's response to the Stansted and Moorley seizures was swift and any potential link to racing was quickly denied. Indeed, there is no connection between the illegal shipment at Stansted and the substances used by Zarooni to enhance the performance of racehorses. The trainer was found guilty of using ethylestranol and stanozolol on a number of horses, having sourced the steroids in Dubai and brought them to Britain himself.
The products seized at Stansted included certain drugs that are available legally across the world. However, some were brought in significant quantities and were destroyed, said the VMD, "because they were not authorised in the UK".
A source close to Princess Haya, who Sheikh Mohammed has tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding both the Stansted seizure and a separate raid last month by the VMD at Moorley Farm near Newmarket, claims she is furious at the developments and concerned for her family's reputation. Her spokesman stated that no one within Sheikh Mohammed's operation has been contacted by the VMD since the seizure but blamed the drugs' presence on the plane on "an internal reporting error".
A BHA report in June found Zarooni was acting on his own and not under instruction from anyone within the Godolphin hierarchy. However, the two latest incidents suggest that there was either an ignorance of Britain's licensing rules for the use of veterinary products or a disregard of them. The goods seized at Stansted were incorrectly labelled as "horse tack" and destroyed following the seizure and it is the administration of the powerful sedatives, anaesthetics and anti-inflammatories that raises questions.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, who have been liaising with the VMD throughout its continuing investigation into the seizure, is concerned at the possibility that vets operating without a licence may have been intending to use the products on horses.
A spokesman said earlier this month: "If an unregistered vet, for example, an overseas vet, or other person has been involved, there could be a breach of the Veterinary Surgeons Act and we would support any police investigations."
It is unknown whether the seizure at Stansted is directly linked to the raid at Moorley Farm last month, when 124 banned products were found by the VMD. The site is understood to be used for Dubai-based endurance horses during the summer, while a number of similar substances that were found on the farm were also seized at the airport.
The Spanish endurance horse trainer Jaume Punti Dachs self-published a list of the products that were seized at Moorley Farm and insisted it was a routine visit from the VMD. Punti Dachs, who competed at the European Endurance Championships earlier this month and won the individual category on his nine-year-old stallion Quran El Ulm, is a member of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports' endurance committee. Princess Haya is the FEI's current president.
Since learning of the incidents at Stansted and Moorley Farm, Princess Haya has launched an internal investigation to ascertain how and why these breaches of the regulations were allowed to happen.
In a directive to staff, she wrote: "All horse medications destined for import or export, regardless of ownership, have to be registered and authorised at the intended destination."
The statement from her spokesman that "nobody in the organisation seems to know who is buying what or where" raises serious questions about the entire operation, and only a thorough investigation will clear the uncertainty.
Fair play to Greg Wood and the Guardian for not letting go of this bone
BHA is too quick to insist drug seizures nothing to do with racing
Sheikh Mohammed's endurance horse operation comes under scrutiny after drugs seized from Dubai government jet
Latest drugs seizure highlights the accountability of Sheikh Mohammed's endurance horse operation.
- Greg Wood
- The Guardian, Sunday 29 September 2013 22.24 BST
When it emerged earlier this month that 124 illegally imported veterinary products had been seized in a raid at a property in Newmarket owned by the world's most powerful racehorse owner, the British Horseracing Authority appeared adamant it had nothing to do with them.
"This is a matter for Defra [the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which conducted the raid]," a BHA spokesman said. "In the view of Defra, there is no link between the seizure and the racing industry and the products were not intended for use on thoroughbreds."
Even then, it seemed quite casual, not least in the context of the Godolphin doping scandal which broke in April.
The horses which were found to have been doped with anabolic steroids by Mahmood al-Zarooni, including Encke, a Classic winner, are still serving their six-month bans from the sport. The account given by the BHA, which ejected Zarooni from racing with what felt like extraordinary speed a few days after the first positive tests at his stable, offers a vague and scarcely credible account of how he could have acquired industrial quantities of banned steroids.
Nor has it produced a satisfactory explanation of how he then managed, with the help of three junior staff, to dope at least 22 of his horses, and probably more, on a near-daily basis without anyone else realising what was happening. Zarooni did all this, apparently, while also spending all but a few days of the winter in Dubai.
Now, as it becomes clear that the structures and accountability in Sheikh Mohammed's endurance horse operation leave a lot to be desired, the BHA's breezy dismissal of any possible link with the racing side of the Sheikh's equine interests appears unwise at best. If, to quote a spokesman for Princess Haya, the International Federation of Equestrian Sports president, "nobody seems to know in the organisation who is buying what or where", then is it not at least possible that Sheikh Mohammed and his senior employees might have taken their eyes off the ball in the much larger thoroughbred operation too?
It is surely a possibility which any regulator should have considered before making what feels like a snap judgment about whether or not such a major seizure of unlicensed drugs at a Sheikh Mohammed-owned property and, as revealed by the Guardian on Monday, a second large seizure of similar drugs from a Dubai government jet, really has "nothing to do with racing". There are obvious echoes here of the situation at Moulton Paddocks after all, where nobody noticed or suspected what Zarooni was up to.
There have been crossing-points between endurance racing and thoroughbred racing before, the most obvious being a man called Mubarak bin Shafya, who trained two big winners on the Dubai World Cup card in 2009 and was subsequently banned for two years from endurance racing after one of his horses tested positive for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid. Zarooni spent a year as Shafya's assistant before taking over at Moulton Paddocks, where he subsequently used stanozolol to dope the male horses in the stable, including Encke.
As evidence of lax procedures and management failure in Sheikh Mohammed's global operations grows, it seems ever more bizarre that the BHA conducted its inquiry into Zarooni backwards: ban him first, then investigate.
The BHA did not seek to take evidence from the Sheikh but relied instead on Godolphin's racing manager, Simon Crisford. It also tried to track down Zarooni for a further interview, not least because seven of the dopings, including Encke, emerged only after he had been banned for eight years for the initial 15 offences. Since his career was already in ruins and he had nothing – a reduced penalty, for instance – to gain by co-operating, Zarooni declined to pick up the phone.
So far the only person from outside Godolphin who is known to have addressed Sheikh Mohammed directly on the subject is Clare Balding, whose conversation with the ruler of Dubai on Guineas day at Newmarket was terminated the instant she mentioned Moulton Paddocks.
The BHA's apparent reluctance to get any formal input into its investigation from Sheikh Mohammed himself leaves it open to criticism that it is scared of approaching him. He has, after all, invested more money in British racing than any owner in history and the Newmarket economy might well collapse if he took offence and moved his bloodstock elsewhere, much as the Aga Khan did when Aliysa, his 1989 Oaks winner, failed a dope test. No ruler likes to have his authority undermined by potentially embarrassing questions.
Unelected rulers tend to like it least of all. Sheikh Mohammed, the monarch and prime minister of Dubai, is a man who gives orders rather than following them.
Yet something seems to have gone very wrong in the Sheikh's endurance racing programme if a large consignment of unlicensed, powerful drugs can arrive marked as "horse tack" on a private flight from Dubai. And we know for certain that something was very wrong on the racing side of his operation at Moulton Paddocks earlier this year but precious little detail about how Zarooni acquired and stored his drugs. The implication that he essentially went about his cheating alone, however, seems ever more difficult to believe.
jinnyj
Senior Jockey
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2004
- Messages
- 4,569
Excellent article. And yes right that someone keeps digging. This is all so dodgy. They have some of the best veterinary facilities available to them in Newmarket so why are they importing drugs which they should not be administering without veterinary advice/help. And lets face it - its not like they can't pay the vets bills. NO they wanted to give horses drugs without anyone knowing about it. Its wrong on every level. For a start they are not trained in veterinary medicine so should not be administering medicines to treat horses they "think" might need them. What if their judgement is wrong and they give the horse the wrong dosage? Whilst I worked for a top trainer in Newmarket he killed a horse (unintentionally) by overdosing it with bute (his head lad took the rap and left). Oh and it was a Royal Ascot winner.
:blink:
Irish Stamp
Forum Moderator
Please bare in mind that the BHA had books which pretty much said "this horse has been doped" on and they didn't do anything.
Probably because they're bricking it about what exactly they will find.
Probably because they're bricking it about what exactly they will find.
Lord Stevens to lead inquiry in Sheikh Mohammed’s global operation
Godolphin owner ‘adamant any violations of law or regulation are shared with the authorities’
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (centre) has requested an internal inquiry into his global racing empire be conducted by Lord Stevens. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA Wire
Wed, Oct 2, 2013, 18:31
First published: Wed, Oct 2, 2013, 18:31
Lord Stevens will conduct an internal inquiry into the global racing empire of Sheikh Mohammed.
The former Metropolitan Police chief, 70, has already begun the process of “assembling a team of experts” for an investigation which is likely to continue into the new year.
Sheikh Mohammed’s racing organisations were placed under the spotlight after former Godolphin trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni was found to have given banned anabolic steroids to 22 of his horses in April.
A consignment of veterinary products from Moorley Farm, which is owned by Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley Stud Management Co Ltd and is used for training endurance horses, was seized in Newmarket in August.
An illegal shipment of unlicensed veterinary products was also taken from a Dubai Royal Air Wing Flight by UK Border Force and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate at Stansted airport in May.
Last month the British Horseracing Authority said it had been assured the seized products were not related to racing, a stance it reiterated on Monday, and were a matter for the VMD and Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).
Lord Stevens was asked to spearhead the inquiry following a meeting with Princess Haya, Sheikh Mohammed’s junior wife, on Tuesday.
He said in a statement: “I have been asked by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed to oversee an internal inquiry that will examine organisational structures, internal communication and veterinary practices at all of the major components of Sheikh Mohammed’s equestrian properties and operations, including Darley, Godolphin, Meydan and Janah, the equine flight company.
“We will look into events surrounding the seizures at Stansted and Moorley Farm, including the chain of custody for the medications in question and their intended purpose.
“We will also look beyond those specific events for a wide-ranging assessment of veterinary procedures and practices to determine whether they are in support of horse welfare and in keeping with all applicable laws and regulations.”
“Sheikh Mohammed is adamant that any evidence of violations of law or regulation in any jurisdiction should be shared with the appropriate authorities.
“Our primary focus is on preventing any future systemic failures.
“We will identify best practices and develop protocols and procedures to streamline and improve management and operations.
“Following my meeting with Princess Haya on Tuesday, I have begun assembling a team of experts for this task.
“At this earlier stage, it is difficult to predict when we will complete this project, but our work will undoubtedly extend into the new year.
“We have agreed that we will not wait until the inquiry is finished to suggest any improvements that should be implemented more quickly.”
From the Irish Times. So 'junior wife' Princess Haya's first move is to hand over the reins of the enquiry to ex-copper Lord Stevens. According to the Guardian he has previously investigated the death of Princess Diana, major security incidents in Northern Ireland and irregular transfers in the Premier League. Did anything much come out of those investigations?
Lord Stevens to lead inquiry in Sheikh Mohammed’s global operation
Godolphin owner ‘adamant any violations of law or regulation are shared with the authorities’
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (centre) has requested an internal inquiry into his global racing empire be conducted by Lord Stevens. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA Wire
Wed, Oct 2, 2013, 18:31
- Topics:
- Sport
- Racing
- More Topics
First published: Wed, Oct 2, 2013, 18:31
Lord Stevens will conduct an internal inquiry into the global racing empire of Sheikh Mohammed.
The former Metropolitan Police chief, 70, has already begun the process of “assembling a team of experts” for an investigation which is likely to continue into the new year.
Sheikh Mohammed’s racing organisations were placed under the spotlight after former Godolphin trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni was found to have given banned anabolic steroids to 22 of his horses in April.
A consignment of veterinary products from Moorley Farm, which is owned by Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley Stud Management Co Ltd and is used for training endurance horses, was seized in Newmarket in August.
An illegal shipment of unlicensed veterinary products was also taken from a Dubai Royal Air Wing Flight by UK Border Force and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate at Stansted airport in May.
Last month the British Horseracing Authority said it had been assured the seized products were not related to racing, a stance it reiterated on Monday, and were a matter for the VMD and Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).
Lord Stevens was asked to spearhead the inquiry following a meeting with Princess Haya, Sheikh Mohammed’s junior wife, on Tuesday.
He said in a statement: “I have been asked by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed to oversee an internal inquiry that will examine organisational structures, internal communication and veterinary practices at all of the major components of Sheikh Mohammed’s equestrian properties and operations, including Darley, Godolphin, Meydan and Janah, the equine flight company.
“We will look into events surrounding the seizures at Stansted and Moorley Farm, including the chain of custody for the medications in question and their intended purpose.
“We will also look beyond those specific events for a wide-ranging assessment of veterinary procedures and practices to determine whether they are in support of horse welfare and in keeping with all applicable laws and regulations.”
“Sheikh Mohammed is adamant that any evidence of violations of law or regulation in any jurisdiction should be shared with the appropriate authorities.
“Our primary focus is on preventing any future systemic failures.
“We will identify best practices and develop protocols and procedures to streamline and improve management and operations.
“Following my meeting with Princess Haya on Tuesday, I have begun assembling a team of experts for this task.
“At this earlier stage, it is difficult to predict when we will complete this project, but our work will undoubtedly extend into the new year.
“We have agreed that we will not wait until the inquiry is finished to suggest any improvements that should be implemented more quickly.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stevens,_Baron_Stevens_of_Kirkwhelpington
Thanks Gareth, his cv has its strong points and he seems to be very well got with both the previous and the present government. I wonder who suggested him for this job.
By the way, Kirkwhelpington sounds like something out of Dickens.
Thanks Gareth, his cv has its strong points and he seems to be very well got with both the previous and the present government. I wonder who suggested him for this job.
By the way, Kirkwhelpington sounds like something out of Dickens.
walsworth
Journeyman
Why does someone holding an enquiry like this always have to be a Lord?
Lord Stevens does have some experience in something similar to this:
from the Daily Telegraph:
Lord Stevens’s corporate and intelligence investigation company Quest has already helped the Princess, in her role as president of the International Equestrian Federation, to set up the clean sport initiatives that formed the central plank of her FEI election manifesto in 2006.
Full article here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/10350580/Lord-Stevens-appointed-by-Sheikh-Mohammed-to-investigate-equine-doping-revelations.html
from the Daily Telegraph:
Lord Stevens’s corporate and intelligence investigation company Quest has already helped the Princess, in her role as president of the International Equestrian Federation, to set up the clean sport initiatives that formed the central plank of her FEI election manifesto in 2006.
Full article here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/10350580/Lord-Stevens-appointed-by-Sheikh-Mohammed-to-investigate-equine-doping-revelations.html
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edgt
Senior Jockey
A Princess could hold an inquiry once a Lord is not looking as he would feel duty bound to take it over. The Ten Lords a leaping were doing so because of an inquiry being held that snubbed them; the so called "Partridge in a Pear tree "inquiry re unsolicited gifts at yuletide.
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