The horse Gucci, ridden by Brazilian Jefferson Martins Maquieira, tested positive for the Banned Substances Boldenone and the related compound Boldienone following samples taken at the CSI2* in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, 3-6 October 2019.
The athlete, who had a strict anti-doping protocol in place, stated that Boldenone was contained in the product Equigan, which was given to the horse against the Athlete’s specific instructions on at least two occasions by the horse’s owners and their employee (at the owners’ request), as it was thought that this product would improve the semen quality of the stallion.
In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal approved the agreement reached between the athlete and the FEI, stating the athlete bears no significant fault or negligence for the Rule violation.
The horse and athlete have been disqualified from the event, and a one-year ineligibility period has been imposed on the athlete starting from the date of the Final Decision (25 January 2021). The Provisional Suspension of the athlete, which came into effect on 22 January 2020, is credited against the period of ineligibility imposed in the decision, meaning the athlete is now eligible to compete. The Athlete was also fined CHF 1,500.
The full Decision is available here.
The FEI Prohibited Substances List is divided into two sections: Controlled Medication and *Banned Substances. Controlled Medication substances are those that are regularly used to treat horses, but which must have been cleared from the horse’s system by the time of competition. Banned (doping) Substances should never be found in the body of the horse and are prohibited at all times.
In the case of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a Banned Substance, the Person Responsible (PR) is automatically provisionally suspended from the date of notification (with the exception of certain cases involving a Prohibited Substance which is also a Specified Substance). The horse is provisionally suspended for two months.
Specified Substances
The FEI introduced the concept of Specified Substances in 2016. Specified Substances should not in any way be considered less important or less dangerous than other Prohibited Substances (i.e. whether Banned or Controlled). Rather, they are simply substances which are more likely to have been ingested by horses for a purpose other than the enhancement of sport performance, for example, through a contaminated food substance. Positive cases involving Specified Substances can be handled with a greater degree of flexibility within the structure of the FEI Regulations.
Information on all substances is available on the searchable FEI Equine Prohibited Substances Database.
Source: FEI Media Release
READ THE LATEST NEWS ARTICLES HERE
