NEWMARKET, England (AP) — Shaken by the recent doping confessions of two high-profile trainers, British horse racing is under a cloud heading into the first two classics of the flat-racing season — the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.
The town in eastern England has been at the center of both scandals, with Godolphin trainer Mahmood al-Zarooni banned for eight years for administering anabolic steroids to 15 horses and Gerard Butler confessing Monday to giving horses a product containing anabolic steroids.
The specter of those scandals hangs over racing on the Rowley Mile this weekend, especially with the Godolphin-owned Dawn Approach setting out as 5-4 favorite with British bookmakers for the 2,000 Guineas on Saturday. The 1,000 Guineas takes place Sunday at the same course and over the same distance.
