Mellor fined $7000

Press, 31 March 1981, Page 24

Mellor fined $7000

The top national hunt trainer, Stan Mellor, has been fined nearly SNZ7OOO after three of his horses — including the New Zealandbred jumper, Royal Stuart — failed routine dope tests earlier this year. Mellor, regarded as one of Britain’s most respected hurdle and steeplechase trainers, has a big string of New Zealand horses.

The £2850 (8NZ6982) fine was imposed by the Jockey Club after a disciplinary hearing in -which the Berkshire trainer had said two of the doping offences were an accident, and the other, involving Royal Stuart, was “a complete mystery”. Two of his horses had been given an anabolic steroid in their feed by mistake. The drug should have gone to yearlings out of training and recovering from operations. But the New Zea-land-bred Ballyroyle -— Shamayra 10-vear-old had shown traces of caffeine and theobromin, both prohibited substances but often found in feed. Jockey Club inspectors failed to trace the source of

the drug and Mellor san after the hearing: “this is very worrying. We know the other two were accidents but this is a complete mystery. You never know if it will happen again.” Mellor was fined £350 sterling (SNZBS7) for the offence involving Royal Stuart, and the Grand National hope was disqualified from a win at Windsor in February. “I’m slightly relieved,” he said later “I suppose it could have been worse. I’ve just got to live it down and pay the fines.” As well as Royal Stuart, fourth and last in last years’ Grand National, Mellor is aiming Royal Mail at th classic Aintree Steeplechas next Saturday.