Peter and Mickey Bowen handed £5,000 fine and Grade 2 winner disqualified after prohibited substance breaches
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Peter and Mickey Bowen have been fined a total of £5,000 and had multiple winners disqualified, including Grade 2 Persian War Novices’ Hurdle victor Flying Fortune, after prohibited substances were found in two of their horses in 2024.
The father-son training partnership was operating under the same licence at the time of the positive tests, but Mickey Bowen has been the sole trainer since May 2025.
In a disciplinary hearing on Thursday, the pair were fined £4,000 for breaching rule (K)2.2, which dictates that no category B substance may be present in a horse’s system on the day it is engaged to run in a race.
In addition, they were fined a further £1,000 for breaking rule (D)24, which requires trainers to maintain clear, accurate records of any medications administered to horses in their care within 48 hours of treatment.
The two horses in question, Flying Fortune and Olivers Travels, have also been disqualified from races after the breaches came to light.
The penalties mean that Flying Fortune has been disqualified from her seven-and-a-half-length win in the Persian War at Chepstow in October 2024 after a post-race urine sample revealed the presence of procaine, a local anaesthetic. The race will be awarded to the John McConnell-trained Intense Approach.
Meanwhile, a post-race urine sample from Olivers Travels after his victory in the 2m7f handicap chase at Worcester on August 21, 2024, revealed the presence of dexamethasone, a corticosteroid commonly prescribed to manage inflammation or allergic reactions. The Emma Lavelle-trained Galloping Pride has subsequently been promoted from second to first.
Joseph Sinclair, who was representing the BHA, and Rory Mac Niece, speaking on behalf of the Bowens, presented the plea agreement, which was approved by the independent disciplinary panel.
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