Bengaluru racing horses 'fail' dope test

Bengaluru: At least half a dozen racing horses of the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) in the city failed dope test as their urine samples tested positive, alleged a horse owner on Thursday.

“We have suspected something amiss at the stables in the BTC grounds. We recently sent urine samples of the horses to the National Dope Testing Lab in New Delhi. They (samples) tested positive,” Karnataka Race Horse Owners’ Association member H.S. Chandre Gowda said.

On Gowda’s complaint of cheating and cruelty to animals, the High Grounds Police Station in the city centre registered an FIR against five employees of the BTC for allegedly administering steroids to the horses for speed and enhanced performance in the races.

“We have registered the case and the investigation is on. Will not comment till the investigation is completed,” High Grounds Police Inspector Lakshmikant said.

The case was registered against BTC Chief Executive Officer Nirmal Prasad, Chief Stipendiary Officer Pradumna Singh, and BTC Members Vivek Ubaykar, Arjun Sajanani and Neel Darasha as they were named in the complaint.

One of the horses — ‘Queen Latifa’, which came first in a race on March 10 and broke a 40-year record, failed the dope test as its urine sample tested positive.

The FIR was filed against the accused under sections 202, 418, 428, 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 11(c) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960.