B sample from Kürten horse proves positive

Jessica Kürten: I didnt give the horse anything.
Photograph: The Irish Times

EQUESTRIAN: The B blood sample taken from Jessica Kürten's mount Castle Forbes Maike in May has tested positive for a prohibited substance, according to a press release issued late yesterday afternoon by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) in Lausanne.

In a short statement, the FEI confirmed a positive test result to etoricoxib, a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug classified as a medication class A substance under the FEI's equine prohibited list.

These are described as "agents which could influence performance by relieving pain, sedating, stimulating or producing/modifying other physiological or behavioural effects".

Castle Forbes Maike was sampled during the five-star show at La Baule in May, and Kürten confirmed a positive result to the A sample during the European show jumping championships at Mannheim in August. At that stage, she broke her silence to the Irish media when stating: "There is a positive dope test but there is absolutely nothing to ground this, I didn't give the horse anything."

The Cullybackey-born rider was given the option of paying a 500 Swiss franc (€307) fine and returning her first place prize-money from the French €100,000 Grand Prix, but put the matter in the hands of her lawyer, Basle-based Dr Ulf Walz.

Testing of the B sample took place in Paris late last month and Walz immediately protested to the FEI offices outlying alleged inconsistencies in the testing procedures.

He claimed Kürten's representative, Dr Laurent Bigler from the University of Zurich, was not permitted to witness the test and was refused the right to survey the analysis of the B sample.

© 2007 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times