Dual UAE champion trainer Ernst Oertel was facing a ban of four months on Monday night after it was discovered that two of his horses had been administered a banned substance.
The Equine Forensic Unit of Dubai found that Razeen and Mell De Piboul had traces of ibuprofen in their urine following the former’s victory at Sharjah on November 1 and the latter’s runner-up finish at Abu Dhabi on November 16.
It is not the first time that horses from Oertel’s stables have been found with prohibited substances in their post-race samples, with horses testing positive in December last year and January this year.
Ibuprofen is a considered to be a therapeutic substance in racehorses.
Oertel pleaded guilty to both charges and can resume training on April 15, which is after the UAE season ends. The ban takes immediate effect.
This is the latest lengthy ban issued by the Emirates Racing Authority, who in March disqualified Abdullah Al Tamimi for eight-and-a-half months after diclofenac was found in the post-race urine sample of Serjaan.
Oertel has spearheaded the resurgent Al Asayl racing operation owned by Sheikh Khalifa, the President of the UAE, and he has topped the UAE trainers’ standings for the past two seasons.
Key horses of Oertel’s include Capital Attraction and Nymphea Du Paon, the 2014 UAE Arabian Derby winner.
It has been a tough few months for Oertel, who broke a leg last season and as a result contracted acute septicaemia.
This summer he required immediate surgery to his leg, which resulted in amputation at the knee.
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