With11 of his best horses recently tested positive for prohibited substances, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered the Godolphin-owned Moulton Paddocks in Newmarket, England, will be shut down with immediate effect.
Sheikh Mohammad, whose wives include Princess Haya Al Hussein, IOC member and President of the International Equstrian Federation, said he was “appalled and angered to learn that one of our stables in Newmarket has violated Godolphin’s ethical standards and the rules of British racing.
I have been involved in British horse racing for 30 years and have deep respect for its traditions and rules. I built my country based on the same solid principles. There can be no excuse for any deliberate violation. We will be locking down the Moulton Paddocks stables with immediate effect, and I have instructed that I want a full round of blood samples and dope testing done on every single horse on that premises. I can assure the racing public that no horse will run from that yard this season until I have been absolutely assured by my team that the entire yard is completely clean.”
For what The New York Times writes about what the London daily The Times described as British racing’s “Lance Armstrong moment,” visit the following link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/27/sports/a-blow-to-british-racing-after-horses-test-positive-for-steroids.html?pagewanted=all
This story first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl Heinz-Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Mr. Heinz-Huba.