Racing: Club exonerate Cecil

Henry Cecil escaped blame yesterday after one of his horses was found to have raced with a prohibited substance. The former champion trainer's A Bit Special ran with the painkiller flunixin when winning at Thirsk last June.

At an hour-long inquiry at the Jockey Club, A Bit Special was disqualified but the disciplinary committee decided not to censure Cecil. Cecil said later: "I am very relieved the committee decided that it was unintentional, that there was no negligence on my part and there was nothing I could do about it.

"The committee thought that in all probability she picked up some contamination within the stable area at Thirsk. They were very fair and it's a relief it is the right decision, and I'm very grateful." Flunixin is a non-steroidial anti-inflammatory drug available only through veterinary surgeons.