Henderson punished over prohibited substance Nicky Henderson has been fined £40,000 and is unable to make entries for three months over the Moonlit Path case. The leading English National Hunt trainer was last Monday found guilty of using a prohibited substance to improve the performance of The Queen's mare at Huntingdon in February. Henderson attended a personal hearing on Thursday evening, when pleas of mitigation were entered to a British Horseracing Authority panel, and learned of his punishment on Friday morning. The 58-year-old handler faced a possible disqualification from the training ranks, but will instead be unable to run any of his horses from July 11th to October 10th. He has also been hit with a record fine imposed on any British trainer. Moonlit Path finished sixth in the TurfTV Mares' Novices' Hurdle on February 19th, after which she tested positive for tranexamic acid, an anti-bleeding drug, which contravened BHA Rule 200. The race was won by stablemate Ravello Bay. Henderson had admitted to three of the four charges he faced, but denied any wrongdoing in relation to Rule 200, which governs administering or attempting to administer a prohibited substance. Henderson has always maintained the medication was used "in the interests of the horse's welfare" - and not to improve performance. The Lambourn trainer has the right to appeal. A BHA panel, chaired by Tim Charlton QC, concluded that disqualifying Henderson was not warranted - but also that a fine was not enough. The punishment handed out means Henderson can continue to employ his workforce, and that owners can keep their horses with them if they wish. If owners want to run their horses during his suspension, they must be entered by, and put into the care of, another trainer. In making its decision, the panel also took into account various factors, including the fact the substance was administered by an experienced vet whom Henderson considered as an advisor - and also that the substance is unlikely to act as a performance enhancer. Also considered was Henderson's contribution to the sport and his charitable activities. Henderson's £40,000 fine is twice that of the previous record penalty of £20,000 imposed on Michael Wigham in February 2008.
