Ex-police chief to probe Sheikh's racing operation

Britain's former top policeman John Stevens is to look into the entire horse racing operation of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum after being asked to investigate by the Dubai ruler himself. UK authorities seized unlicensed veterinary products, which included steroidal injections, anaesthetics and anti-inflammatories, described as "potentially toxic and dangerous to horses", from a Dubai government private jet at London's Stansted airport in May. Then, in August, there was a raid by the UK's Veterinary Medicines Directorate on Moorley Farm, owned by the Sheikh's Darley company, in the eastern English town of Newmarket that is the headquarters of British racing, where similar goods were taken. These incidents followed the unearthing of the biggest doping scandal in racing history when the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) revealed in April that 22 horses stabled at the Sheikh's elite Goldolphin Racing complex in Newmarket had tested positive for anabolic steroids. The BHA said then no one other than trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni was culpable and he was later banned for eight years. Sheikh Mohammed is Britain's leading racehorse owner. Stevens, the former head of London's Metropolitan Police Service, said in a statement quoted Wednesday by the website of Britain's Guardian newspaper: "I have been asked by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed to oversee an internal inquiry that will examine organisational structures, internal communication and veterinary practices at all of the major components of Sheikh Mohammed's equestrian properties and operations, including Darley, Godolphin, Meydan and Janah, the equine flight company. "We will look into events surrounding the seizures at Stansted and Moorley Farm, including the chain of custody for the medications in question and their intended purpose. "We will also look beyond those specific events for a wide-ranging assessment of veterinary procedures and practices to determine whether they are in support of horse welfare and in keeping with all applicable laws and regulations." Stevens, who met with the Sheikh's wife, Princess Haya, on Tuesday, added: "Following my meeting with Princess Haya on Tuesday, I have begun assembling a team of experts for this task. "At this early stage, it is difficult to predict when we will complete this project, but our work will undoubtedly extend into the new year." A spokesman for Princess Haya had previously told the Guardian that "nobody seems to know in the organisation who is buying what or where. That's one of the reforms that they want in place". Reports in several British newspapers on Tuesday had suggested Princess Haya, the Sheikh's 'junior' wife, was leading an inquiry into the seizures in her role as the president of the International Federation of Equestrian Sports (FEI) and that this raised conflicts of interest In the separate sport of endurance racing, Sheikh Mohammed, in his role as a rider, was banned as the result of a failed drug test by his horse Tahan in 2009. The Sheikh was banned from competition for six months, while Abdullah bin Huzaim, the horse's trainer, was banned for a year. The BHA insisted Tuesday they had been told by the British government the seizures at Stansted and Moorley Farm were not linked to the racing industry and the products were "not intended for use on thoroughbreds". Source: AFP