Several Horses, Trained by the French Trainer Fabrice Souloy Have Left Positive Doping
2016-09-09
PRESSINFORMATION
Several horses, trained by the French trainer Fabrice Souloy have left positive doping tests in tests taken after races in Sweden and Norway.
In all cases the substance detected in the A samples is Cobalt. The following horses have left positive A samples: Lionel (Bjerke, Norway June 12th), Your Highness (Bjerke, June 12th) Timone Ek (Bjerke, June 12th), Un Mec d'Heripre (Bjerke, June 12th). Un Mec d'Heripre also tested positive when racing at Solvalla, Sweden on May 29th. Furthermore Un Mec d'Heripre left a positive pre-race test the day before Elitloppet, on May 28th.
Your Highness won Oslo Grand Prix, Lionel ended up in 6th place in the same race. Un Mec d'Heripre was third in Elitloppet as well as Oslo Grand Prix. Timone Ek won the Europamatch at Bjerke.
The A samples exceeded the threshold limits for Cobalt. The B sample from Lionel is confirmed to contain limits above the threshold of Cobalt. All test results show residues of Cobalt far over the international limits, in either urine and/or blood.
Facts about Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element that naturally occurs in the horse’s body. It is supplied through fodder, supplements or pharmaceutical substances. Since Cobalt occurs naturally in the body it has a threshold limit which is not possible to override with normal fodder, supplements or pharmaceutical substances.
Cobalt is known in human sports industry as a blood doping substance used to raise sustainability and decrease tiredness.
Yesterday, thursday evening, representatives from Swedish Trotting Association and Norwegian Trotting Association visited Fabrice Souloy’s camp Haras de Ginai in France to further investigate the cases.
- We obviously do not want positive tests but, on the other hand, this is a proof that the effort we put into anti-doping works. This specific case has also been an excellent co-operation between Sweden and Norway. Our ambition always is to have a clean sport, says the Veterinary Officer at Swedish Trotting Association, Antti Rautalinko.
Swedish Trotting Association has intensified their work with anti-doping. Since some time there is the possibility to freeze tests in order to analyze them at a later time, a possibility that has been used in this case.
Before Elitloppet there were pre-race tests carried out on other horses as well, all of them negative. Post-race tests were also carried out on all placed horses in Elitloppet and they as well, with the exception for Un Mec d'Heripre, came back negative.
In the event that the B sample verifies the result from the A sample, Un Mec d'Heripre’s third place in Elitloppet’s final heat will be deprived from him.
Sweden and Norway are investigating this case together and upon completion the Scandinavian Doping Committee will receive the material and leave their plead to the judging party in Sweden and Norway respectively. They in their turn will decide what the penalty will be.
The Swedish Trotting Association has decided to suspend Fabrice Souloy during the investigation. This will be effected immediately which means that horses in his training cannot race in Sweden , Norway, Denmark and Finland during this period. This decision is also announced to the UET in order to achieve execution of the suspension throughout the UET countries.
CONTACT:
Johan Lindberg, General secretary
Tel. +46 70 397 35 00
Mail: