Trainer Philip Fenton has been disqualified for three years following an Irish Turf Club hearing on Saturday.
Fenton was called before racing officials after being found guilty and fined for possessing anabolic steroids and other banned substances at a district court hearing last month.
A cardboard box packed with 25 bottles and containers of animal remedies was found hidden in the horse spa in his yard during a search by officials from the Department of Agriculture in January 2012.
Among them was one kilo of the anabolic steroid Nitrotain in a paste form in a black tub – enough for 250 doses – and a 20ml bottle of a second performance-enhancing drug Ilium Stanabolic.
The Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer did not give evidence in the one-day court hearing and refused to explain afterwards why he had the steroids in his yard.
Fenton’s disqualification period from training horses will begin from November 28 and from March 1 next year he will be disqualified entirely from any horseracing environment.
Fenton’s solicitor pleaded for a financial punishment, rather than disqualification, but the Irish Turf Club panel felt the severity of the offence was of sufficient gravity to hand out a three-year suspension.
The 49-year-old trainer enjoyed great success with Dunguib, who won the 2009 Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, and Last Instalment, but those two horses have since been retired.
Powerful owners Gigginstown House Stud also removed the three horses they had in training with Fenton, including the Grade Two-winning Real Steel.
