The Queen's Horse Tests Positive for Morphine

The Queen’s racehorse has tested positive for morphine. 

According to the BBC, “Buckingham Palace said the banned substance was found in Estimate, trained by Sir Michael Stoute,” and “initial indications are that the positive test resulted from the consumption of a contaminated feed product.”

“On 17 July the British Horseracing Authority announced that a number of post-race samples, obtained from recent race meetings, had been found to indicate the presence of morphine,” John Warren, the Queen’s bloodstock and racing advisor, said in a statement. “Five horses, under the care of various trainers, were affected. I can confirm that one of those horses was Estimate. Initial indications are that the positive test resulted from the consumption of a contaminated feed product.”

The BBC reported that “the Queen, who cheered Estimate on to Gold Cup success at Royal Ascot last year, has been informed of the development.”

Morphine is “permitted out of competition but not on race days.”