by Karsten Bønsdorf

Nils Enqvist, a 50-year-old Swedish trainer, has been banned 8 years from racing and owning trotters after four of his horses tested positive in a drug test back in May.

The tests were taken at Enqvist’s farm and not in conjunction with races.

Three of the trotters tested positive for Stanozol, which is an anabolic steroid, and the fourth horse tested positive for Metokarbamol, which is a central muscle relaxant used to treat skeletal muscle spasms, normally used for elderly people.

The Swedish Trotting Association also found several other illegal medicaments in his stable.

“In preparing this case for The Horse racing Committee (Ansvarsnämnden) we asked for a lifetime ban for Nils Enqvist,” said Ulf Hörnberg, secretary general of the Swedish Trotting Association. “Several horses have been doped systematically and this is absolutely unacceptable. We will now discuss and analyze the verdict, which could be appealed,” Hörnberg said.

Nils Enqvist, who only trains his own trotters, was the trainer of Opal Viking who for several years was one of the best trotters in Europe and now stands at stud in Italy.