Hugo Palmer will have to give back one of the group races he won in 2015, as his Home Of The Brave (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) has been disqualified from his win in the G3 Minstrel S. at The Curragh last July. The colt tested positive for the banned substance hydroxydantrolene and the news sees Gordon Lord Byron (Ire) (Byron {GB}) promoted to first place, gifting the Tom Hogan trained 8-year-old his 13th career win. Hydroxydantrolene is a muscle relaxant and was administered to the colt to treat a hamstring injury. Palmer adhered to the rules and the advised withdrawal period but the sample still contained traces of the drug, leading to inevitable disqualification. As he followed the guidelines Palmer escaped a fine, however the disqualification takes some of the gloss off an otherwise outstanding 2015 for the Newmarket trainer who recently welcomed his first intake of 2-year-olds from Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms.
