Mullins fined £1,100 as Final Demand loses Cheltenham second after positive test

Willie Mullins has been fined £1,100 after Final Demand tested positive for a prohibited substance and was disqualified from second place at the Cheltenham Festival.

The BHA disciplinary panel, chaired by Sarah Crowther KC, issued the fine and confirmed the disqualification, the BHA confirmed BBC.

Final Demand finished second in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at Cheltenham on 11 March. The race is a Grade One, the highest level in jump racing, and is restricted to novices — horses in their first season over fences.

A post-race sample from Final Demand contained mepivacaine. It is a local anaesthetic commonly used in the treatment of racehorses. On raceday, it is classed as a Category B prohibited substance, which means no amount is allowed in a runner’s body.

Mullins had also failed to declare any use of mepivacaine on medical declaration forms submitted before the race. Trainers must list treatments given to their horses so officials can check raceday compliance.

Expert evidence given to the panel suggested a low dose entered the horse very close to the time of sampling. The investigation could not establish how it got there.

The BHA accepts there is no suggestion that Mullins or his staff knew the drug had been given. It also accepts that reasonable precautions were in place in the yard.

That did not avoid sanction. Under the rules, the trainer remains responsible for a positive test. Disqualification follows automatically.

There was a second failure around the case. CCTV footage from the yard where Final Demand was kept at Cheltenham was not retained. The panel was told the hard drive holding the footage had been misplaced.

Cheltenham was fined £5,000 for failing to retain the footage. Racecourses must keep CCTV so stewards and investigators can review movements around the stables.

For racing followers, the result book now changes. Final Demand loses second place in one of the Festival’s leading novice chases. The prize money and placing go elsewhere.

What makes this stand out is the uncertainty. No one knows how the drug entered the horse. The panel found no wrongdoing by the people around him. The positive still stands.