The Classic-winning trainer Ed Dunlop has been disqualified from racing for one year, with the penalty suspended for 12 months. His filly Lucidity tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine after finishing second in a race at Brighton on 4 July 2023.
The source of the positive for the Class A drug remains unknown, but while the British Horseracing Authority attaches no blame to Dunlop for its presence in the filly’s system, strict rules on liability required the independent disciplinary panel to impose a disqualification – or “warning off” – on the trainer, rather than simply a suspension of his licence. The disqualification will be activated if another significant breach of the anti-doping rules occurs in the next 12 months.
Dunlop was also fined £1,000, while Lucidity was disqualified from the five-runner race, for which she started 11-8 favourite before finishing three and a half lengths behind the second-favourite, Gallimimus.
Dunlop, whose father, John, won 10 British Classics and was champion trainer on the Flat in 1995, has saddled more than two dozen winners at Group One level in a 30-year career. He is most closely associated with the Classic-winning fillies Ouija Board and Snow Fairy, both of whom completed the Oaks-Irish Oaks double, in 2004 and 2010, respectively.
Chelmsford 2.10 Bay City Roller 2.40 Laguna Boy 3.10 Skipper 3.40 Hardman 4.10 Trackman 4.40 Battleofbaltimore
Carlisle 2.18 Ballsbridge 2.48 Northern Ticker 3.18 Valentine Catcher 3.48 Miss Cast 4.20 Rough Diamond 4.50 Gainsbourg 5.25 Beale Street
Ffos Las 2.25 Sir Palamedes 2.55 Saytarr 3.25 Questionable 3.55 Beeley 4.25 Zambezi Magic 5.00 Tarbat Ness
Newbury 4.15 Sabrimento 4.45 Hold A Dream 5.20 Saariselka 5.55 Rating 6.30 Rogue Encore 7.00 Billiegee 7.30 One Cool Dreamer
Southwell 5.45 Who’s Glen 6.14 Another Investment 6.43 Habooba 7.12 Manxman (nb) 7.41 Oliver Show 8.10 Dream Harder (nap) 8.40 The Caltonian
Lucidity’s positive test was the first returned by any of Dunlop’s total of nearly 11,000 runners since 1994. His only previous breach of anti-doping rules was in 2012, when Snow Fairy was disqualified from the Group One Prix Jean Romanet after a positive for a banned anti-inflammatory drug.
The disciplinary panel heard an employee at Dunlop’s yard admitted to using cocaine on two occasions in 2024, but neither was at or around the time of Lucidity’s run at Brighton.
Ffos Las 1.25 Autumn Angel 1.55 Raimunda 2.30 Flag Of Love 3.05 Tres Chic 3.40 Drusilla 4.10 Three Dons
Thirsk 1.40 Hot Dancer 2.10 Shining Pearl 2.45 Cuban Tiger (nap) 3.15 Trilby 3.45 Gatwick Kitten 4.15 Tillybob 4.50 Gibside 5.20 Captain Corelli
Sandown Park 1.50 Nad Alshiba Green 2.25 Spirit Of Breeze 3.00 Qetaifan 3.30 King Of Charm (nb) 4.00 Global Esteem 4.35 Ardbraccan
Fontwell 3.50 Inigo 4.25 Belgarum 5.00 Global Skies Oj 5.35 River Robe 6.10 My Gift To You 6.45 Hawaii Du Mestival 7.20 Lightening Gesture
Southwell 4.13 Mambha 4.45 Smart Hero 5.23 My Brother Mike 5.58 Flying Secret 6.33 Doralee 7.05 Turner Girl 7.38 Alacrity
Salisbury 4.20 Airshow 4.55 Montbeliarde 5.30 Brize Norton 6.05 Treacherous 6.40 Monsieur Fudge 7.13 Bonaventure 7.43 Apostle
There are approximately 90,000 starters in British racing each year and positives for cocaine or its metabolites are extremely rare. The most high-profile recent case involved Walk In The Sun, a big-money purchase at the breeze-up sales in 2017, who tested positive after a race at Kempton in 2018.
