Dermot Weld, Gordon Elliott, Shark Hanlon and Stephen Mahon have all had recent winners disqualified for positive post-race tests.

The latest batch of disqualified winners are among over 20 horses to have tested positive so far this year. Only five positives were recorded in each of the previous two years. It has been speculated that a change in laboratory earlier this year could partly explain the rise in the number of failed tests.

Gordon Elliott’s Midlands National winner Timiyan is the highest profile disqualification in the batch released by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board on Wednesday evening. The J.P. McManus-owned gelding tested positive for triamcinolone acetonide (TCA), which is an anti-inflammatory medication commonly used in equine practice.

The trainer was found to have taken all reasonable precautions to avoid breaching the rules and was fined the minimum €1,000. The race was awarded to stable companion Rogue Angel, owned by Gigginstown House Stud.

Dermot Weld was also cleared of any responsibility in the positive test returned by his Curragh maiden winner Kisanga. The Aga Khan-owned filly tested positive for testosterone and a veterinary examination revealed that this was caused by a “granulosa cell tumour” which has since been removed from the filly. The Curragh race was awarded to Jim Bolger’s National Security.

Three runners saddled by Stephen Mahon between April and May tested positive for traces of arsenic. These included Limerick winner Trump Sixteen (April 20th) and Ballinrobe winner Rocky Court (May 28th). Mahon told the Referrals Committee that he feeds his horses “a large volume of seaweed” and analysis of some seaweed provided confirmed the presence of the substance. Since being notified of the positive test results, Mahon has ceased feeding seaweed to his horses.

Another unplaced runner trained by Mahon tested positive for cobalt, which the trainer explained was due to the administering of a multivitamin supplement to a ‘shy feeder’.

Under the circumstances the Referrals Committee waived the usual €1,000 fine but did disqualify both winners. Trump Sixteen’s Limerick race was awarded to Tony Martin’s Sil Ver Klass, while the new winner of Rocky Court’s Ballinrobe race is John Ryan’s Draycott Place.

Shark Hanlon was the most heavily punished trainer at Monday’s hearings. His Galway Festival winner Camlann tested positive for cobalt, a substance which is allowed to be given to horses in training “but must be withdrawn in enough time that the amount of cobalt in the horse on raceday is below internationally agreed thresholds.”

Professor Stuart Paine from the University of Nottingham told the Referrals Committee that, in his opinion, Camlann “had either been injected with a vitamin B12 product containing cobalt or been given an extremely large amount of such a product by mouth” within 12 hours of his race.

Hanlon said the horse was receiving an oral supplement which contained cobalt and vitamin B12 “however it was not administered on the day of the race.”

The Committee disqualified Camlann and awarded the race to Jessica Harrington’s Make It Hurrah.

In considering what penalty to impose, the Committee noted that “this was not the first occasion of apparently unexplained race day exposure to a prohibited substance in respect of Mr Hanlon and the current case in question was serious in nature resulting in a strong argument for the withdrawal of licence from the trainer.”

Hanlon was given a suspended 18-month ban which will be lifted after three years pending no further breaches of the relevant rule. The Committee also imposed a fine of €7,000 and awarded costs of €2,000 to the IHRB.

Hanlon, best known for his handling of multiple graded-race winner Hidden Cyclone, plans to appeal. “The only comment I’m making is that we’re definitely going to appeal. My reason being it was only three over the threshold of a hundred and we’ve got to appeal.”

MORE ON THIS STORY IN THE IRISH FIELD NEXT WEEKEND