Irish jockey Gibbons banned for positive test, sample switch

Gibbons, a leading all-weather circuit flat racing jockey, was among a group of riders selected for random testing at the Kempton meeting last December and tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine.

Irish jockey Gibbons banned for positive test, sample switch

(Reuters)





He was then caught attempting to swap urine samples with Callum Shepherd, who was not charged.

The Irishman had voluntarily not ridden since Dec. 9 and received a two-year ban by the disciplinary panel of the BHA due to the attempted urine switch and a six-month ban for the failed drugs test. The bans will run concurrently until June 8, 2019.

"Graham Gibbons, found in breach of Rule (D)65, received 6 months suspension from 9 Dec 2016 to 8 June 2017 inclusive," the BHA said on their official Twitter account.

"Gibbons also found in breach of Rule (A)30 and receives a two-year suspension from 9 June 2017 until 8 June 2019 inclusive."

The 35-year-old was on course to record 100 winners in a calendar year for the first time before the failed drugs test. He was previously banned from riding for 35 days after failing a breath test for alcohol in 2007.





(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru)


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Published 6 October 2017 6:52pm
Source: Reuters

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