ERA hand UAE trainer Majed Al Jahouri two-year ban for using prohibited substance on horse

The Emirati's ban was enforced after the post-race urine sample of Hamares was found to have contained excessive amounts of cobalt.

Majed Al Jahouri, second right, has been banned for two years from all horse training activities by the Emirates Racing Authority. Razan Alzayani / The National

The Emirates Racing Authority expects to increase its out of competition testing this season after it handed Majed Al Jahouri a two-year ban for use of a prohibited substance.

Al Jahouri’s ban was enforced after the post-race urine sample of Hamares was found to have contained excessive amounts of cobalt.

The trainer pleaded guilty to the charge and in light of the seriousness of the offence, and to act as a deterrent to others, Jahouri will not be allowed to take up training again until January 12, 2019. He had just returned from a 12-month ban for use of propoxyphene.

Hamares was disqualified as the winner of the Al Saad Handicap, staged at Al Ain on November 18.

Jahouri’s ban comes just two weeks after Nacer Samiri was found to be in possession of anabolic steroids. There was no proof he had actually administered the drug so he was handed a fine of Dh20,000.

The ERA have been testing for Cobalt since January 2014. Last season the ERA tested around 20 per cent of registered horses in training in the UAE, both Thoroughbred and Purebred Arabian.

“The Emirates Racing Authority expects to exceed this testing rate for the current racing season,” the regulatory body’s spokesman Andrew Holmes said.

Cobalt is a naturally occurring trace element that can be present in some horses due to ingestion from feed. It is, for instance, found naturally in Vitamin B12.

When used for performance-enhancing purposes it can help increase the number of red blood cells by up to 30 per cent. Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body, so when used in this manner cobalt has similar properties as erythropoietin – or EPO. This means cobalt allows horses to perform at a peak for longer before the onset of fatigue.

Cobalt can be administered to horses easily as a powder, feed supplement or injection.

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