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Martin Keighley crestfallen by Any Currency sample

Any Currency ridden by Aidan Coleman jumps the last fence on the way to winning the Glenfarclas Chase during Ladies Day of the 2016 Cheltenham Festival at
Image: Any Currency: Could be stripped of Cheltenham win

Martin Keighley has spoken of the "devastation" and "heartbreak" at the prospect of his popular veteran Any Currency being stripped of his victory in the Glenfarclas Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

The 13-year-old is likely to be disqualified after traces of a prohibited substance were found in his system.

Any Currency had given the Condicote trainer his first success at the biggest jumps meeting of the year before winning a handicap chase back at Cheltenham in April.

However, Any Currency now looks like being denied his Festival victory after triamcinolone acetonide (TCA) and its hydroxylated metabolite were found in a urine sample taken after the race.

TCA can be legitimately used for horses in training for various therapeutic purposes, but it is a prohibited substance on racedays which means it must not be present in a horse's system.

Keighley and his team believed they had left plenty of time for the treatment to have left the horse's system.

"My physio Maggie Turner just felt he needed some help with his hocks for wear and tear and arthritis," he said.

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"He didn't run since December so I had to train him quite hard to get him to peak fitness for the big day, so we medicated his hocks just to give him pain relief.

"It's common practice in horse racing. It's not a banned substance. It doesn't enhance performance. It's an anti-inflammatory, it's just a pain relief to see him through his training.

"There was such a big gap and we were over cautious. I'm devastated for the team and everyone involved."

Keighley revealed he was made aware of the problem by the British Horseracing Authority just before Any Currency ran at Cheltenham in April.

"I found out just when Aidan Coleman came into the paddock to ride him in the staying chase at Cheltenham in April, his last run," he said.

"I had a phone call from the BHA, they told me then, and they asked me if I wanted to pull the horse out and I was astonished what they told me.

"To watch him go out and win that day was just amazing. That test came back fine as it was a longer time from the Festival.

"It's been a worry for such a long time.

"It was a special day when he won at the Festival and it's heartbreaking we could lose that.

"There has been no set date for the hearing. We'll work with the BHA and see what happens."

Should Any Currency lose the race, runner-up Josies Orders, trained by Enda Bolger and ridden by Nina Carberry, will be promoted into first place.

As for Any Currency, he is enjoying a summer break.

"He's out in the field having a nice holiday. He's getting on a bit now but I'd love to get him back next season," Keighley told At The Races.

"He'll just have the three races at Cheltenham in November, December and then hopefully if we could get him there for March, it would be fantastic."

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