Horse trainer Tony Martin has been suspended for six months after a third horse he trained failed a drug test. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Repeat offender
Horse trainer Tony Martin has been suspended from his license for six months after his horse First Man tested positive for lidocaine. Lidocaine is a local anesthetic used to prevent pain and is not permitted on race day.
Martin, whose sentence was suspended for two years, also received a fine of 11,000 euros ($12,040). The sanctions were imposed following an anti-doping rule violation during a race on January 18. The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) Referral Committee, which completed the investigation on 27 November, told Martin that if there was another anti-doping violation within two years, he would be suspended.
For the third time in four years
This is the third time in four years that a horse trained by Martin has tested positive for a banned substance. In 2019, Moonmeister was disqualified from the Curragh after testing positive for corticosteroids. In 2022, Patsy’s Honor was disqualified from the Down Royal bumper after testing positive for triamcinolone acetonide.
The results were negative
During the investigation, Martin suggested it was possible that lidocaine had been ingested through the bedding found at the racetrack, an idea rejected by the commission. An unannounced visit from the IHRB on February 1 found none of the material in Martin’s yard.
Firstman’s anti-arthritic drug cartrophene was prescribed by two veterinary surgeons
Martin also told investigators that Firstman had been prescribed the anti-arthritic drug Cartofen by two veterinary surgeons, Idelle Gray and Donisha Houlihan, the day before the race. However, it was found that this is not the reason for the presence of lidocaine in the post-race sample.
Hair and blood samples were taken from the nine horses, including the first man, and all were negative. According to IHRB head of anti-doping, Dr. Lynn Hillier, lidocaine should have been taken within hours of the sample being taken on race day.
The drugs are still there a month later
In reaching its decision, the referral committee took into account Martin’s early acceptance and full cooperation. They also noted that revoking a horse trainer’s license “would likely have serious implications for and potentially endanger his stable yard.”
After Patsy Honore was disqualified in 2022, Martin received a fine of €1,750 ($1,915). Even though the withdrawal period is 34 days, the drug still shows up in Patsy’s honor sample.
Hillier said there are several reasons why the drug is present in the horse after a month of treatment. One reason is that the drug is not injected into the joint, but rather into some denser tissue.
