Two Men Banned For Newcastle Doping

Neil Waggot and Stephen Walker, who worked as maintenance staff at Newcastle Racecourse, have been banned from racing for 10 years for allegedly doping the Mick Easterby trained Ladies First (GB) (Monsieur Bond {Ire}) at Newcastle in September of 2018. CCTV footage revealed Waggot and Walker feeding Ladies First in the racecourse stable area before she ran. Ladies First subsequently tested positive for Timolol, a beta blocker after she was beaten 22 lengths as the 6-4 favourite.

A spokesperson for Newcastle Racecourse said, “Newcastle Racecourse takes all matters of security and integrity very seriously and meet all licensing requirements in that regard. Following this incident in 2018, the individuals concerned were removed from the racecourse as soon as their actions had come to light and the racecourse has provided all relevant information to the BHA, as and when requested. We look forward to seeing the written summary of the hearing, and will work with the relevant bodies to implement any amendments to security procedures that are deemed necessary.”