A week after Mahmood Al Zarooni was embroiled in a steroids scandal, a second British trainer has admitted to administering anabolic steroids. Gerard Butler told the British Horseracing Authority that, on the recommendation of vets, he had administered the veterinary product Sungate as a treatment for injured joints. Butler told The Independent he had made "a terrible mistake," but added that he had been assured the drug was widely prescribed in Newmarket and he included its use in his medical records sent to the BHA last July.
"It did not cross my mind that there could be any problem with this medication," Butler told the Independent. "And, judging from the fact that the BHA said nothing about it when they saw my medical book, it does not seem to have crossed their minds either. Little Black Book ran on 4 August and won a couple of weeks later, so they would have known he was clearly in training at the time. In the medical book, I signed that I had authorized use of the drug, and my vet had countersigned for its administration. Sungate had for some time been widely used in their practice with very beneficial results for joint injuries."
In a statement, the BHA acknowledged it is currently investigating "a number of positive samples obtained from horses at Gerard Butler’s yard, following a testing in training visit on 20th February."
The statement added, "While conscious of the need not to prejudice the outcome of the current enquiry, the investigation has established that the source of the positive samples was a veterinary product, licensed in the EU and legally imported for use by a veterinary practice, the initial administration of which was recommended by a vet."
