Laing horse banned from racing for a year

A horse trained by Robbie Laing has been banned from racing for 12 months after a blood sample taken before she raced at Mornington was found to contain an anabolic steroid.

Stewards have told Laing of the confirmatory findings of the sample taken from Little Indian before a benchmark 70 handicap on September 30, and stewards are continuing their investigations.

Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL) reported the blood sample was shown to contain trenbolone, an anabolic androgenic steroid.

The New Zealand Racing Laboratory Services also detected the substance in the reserve portion of the sample.

Anabolic steroids have been banned in all racehorses since May, 2014.

Under the rule Little Indian cannot start in a race or official trial for 12 months from the date the sample was taken.

Racing Victoria stewards are also continuing an investigation into a pre-race urine sample taken from the Nathan McPherson-trained Hunting Hill before he was unplaced in a race at Caulfield on October 1.

The RASL confirmed benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, was detected in the sample.