Royal racehorse fails drugs test

The Queen has found herself at the centre of an embarrassing 'doping' claim after it emerged that one of her racehorses failed a drugs test.
Moonlit Path, a six-year-old mare, was found to have been injected with tranexamic acid, a banned substance that prevents haemorrhaging, following her debut run at Huntingdon in February.

Her long-time friend and trainer, Old Etonian Nicky Henderson, was yesterday charged by the British Horseracing Authority for allowing the drug to be administered.

The Queen's racing manager, Sir Michael Oswald, said last night that the monarch had been informed and described it as 'very disappointing news'.

A source close to the monarch said: 'This is a terrible, terrible embarrassment to the Queen who has been enjoying one of the most successful seasons of her 30-year career in racing'.

Tranexamic acid is a legitimate drug that is given to humans as well as animals to prevent heavy bleeding by increasing clot formation.

Due to the stress exerted on a horse's body while racing – young animals in particular are prone to haemorrhaging – they can often be seen with a nose bleed at the end of a strenuous run and trainers are permitted to administer the drug in advance of a race.

Following her debut on February 19, Moonlit Path was given a routine urine test which was found by the Horseracing Forensic Laboratory to reveal the presence of tranexamic acid. A second test upheld the findings.

As a result, Mr Henderson, 58, will be brought before a disciplinary hearing in June where he faces being disqualified from the sport for up to a year.