Nicky Henderson Given Record £40,000 Fine and Ban

Leading jumps trainer Nicky Henderson has been banned from having any runners for three months and hit with a record fine of £40,000 after being found guilty of using a banned anti-bleeding drug on the Queen's horse Moonlit Path before a race at Huntingdon in February.

The 58-year-old handler faced having his training license taken away but will instead be unable to run any of his horses from July 11 to October 10. If any horse leaves Henderson's yard during that period to run they cannot return to his Lambourn base until after the ban ends.

The £40,000 ban doubles the previous record fine for a British trainer of £20,000 which was imposed on Newmarket handler Michael Wigham in February 2008 after he was found guilty of a second offense under the non-triers' rules in the space of a year.

Henderson attended a personal hearing yesterday evening, when pleas of mitigation were entered to a British Horse racing Authority panel, and learned of his punishment this morning.