£40,000 fine for trainer, who is banned from making entries for three months

Trainer Nicky Henderson has been fined £40,000 and banned from making entries for three months after being found guilty of using a prohibited substance on The Queen's mare Moonlit Path at Huntingdon in February.

Henderson had been found guilty of a breach of the drugs rules last Monday and faced possible disqualification. After hearing a plea of mitigation on Thursday, the BHA disciplinary committee, chaired by Timothy Charlton QC, handed down the fine and entry ban on Friday morning.

The £40,000 fine is a record fine for any British trainer, and Henderson will be unable to run any of his horses from July 11 to October 10. Henderson can continue to employ his stable staff and owners can keep their horses with him if they wish.

In making its decision, the panel took into account 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 has always maintained the medication was used "in the interests of the horse's welfare" - and not to improve performance.

Henderson accepts "harsh" verdict

In a statement Henderson said: "I am obviously hugely relieved that this saga has been concluded and, even though this seems a harsh sentence, we accept the findings and can now look forward again to the future and an exciting season ahead.

"As we are unable to have any runners for three months in our name, it is going to be all the more difficult to emulate last season's amazing results, but this will make us try even harder to do so.

"Although the medication should not have been administered, I can only re-iterate, as the panel has accepted, that it was only given in the interest of the welfare of Moonlit Path herself.

"The support that I and all the family and the team have received over the last very testing weeks has been quite overwhelming and, under the circumstances, so much appreciated.

"My owners, fellow trainers, both National Hunt and Flat, so many friends, everyday racegoers have given us so much encouragement and backing.

"I can only thank you all enormously and this includes my legal team.

"I simply cannot tell you how much it has meant to me and everybody at Seven Barrows."