French trainer David Cottin, who had a string of successes at the Cheltenham Festival, has been handed a twelve-month ban from the sport by France Galop stewards.

This was due to being implicated in the use of the steroid Dexamethasone, which had been administered to four horses at his yard in Lamorlaye.

At an inspection made by veterinary officials on December 3, 2022, prescriptions for Dexamethasone injections for four horses were discovered by Cottin. He admitted to a mistake in the withdrawal period of an injection given to Matilda Du Berlais on October 3, before she was pulled up in the Prix Orcada at Auteuil.

Cottin claimed that the substance had been administered after Duke Chop finished seventh in the Prix Finot at Auteuil on September 13, although the prescription was dated the same day. Two more horses, Para and Madara, were also alleged to have been given injections, though Cottin insists that his head lad had mistakenly read the wrong name to a vet.

According to testimony, Cottin had employed an Italian vet, identified only as 'Paolo', who was "much less expensive" than his usual veterinary practice, and was able to "find problems others miss". The Dexamethasone injections violated a minimum fourteen-day withdrawal period before a horse can race, resulting in all four horses being disqualified from their finishing positions.

Cottin, the son of trainer Philippe Cottin, had enjoyed a successful career as a jockey and had been awarded the title of France's champion jockey three times. In his ascent to training ranks, his horses earned almost €4 million in prize-money in 2021, helping him to finish third in the title race.

Despite his success, Cottin was also fined €3,000 after one of his horses, Scare Coeur, tested positive for a banned substance at Pau on January 8, 2022. He now has fourteen days to appeal against his ban.