James Main – the vet struck off for giving one of The Queen’s racehorses a banned drug – has been restored to the veterinary register.
Mr Main – a partner at O’Gorman, Slater, Main & Partners in Newbury – was struck off by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) last February (news, 3 March 2011) after being found guilty of “disgraceful conduct“.
He admitted injecting Moonlit Path, trained by Nicky Henderson, with tranexamic acid on the morning of her racecourse debut in February 2009. Mr Main was also found guilty of concealing the use of the drug in his records.
The drug, which helps the blood to clot – thereby preventing haemorrhaging – can be used legally in horses in training. But giving anything other than food or water on a race morning is against British Horseracing Authority Rules.
But Mr Main said his primary concern had been for the horse’s welfare – not to enhance her performance.
Last month (20 March), the RCVS accepted his application to have his name restored to the register after listening to evidence given by Mr Main, his colleagues and clients.
The committee found his punishment to have been a “humbling and salutary experience” and his removal had been “financially and emotionally detrimental to Mr Main, his family and practice”.
Committee chairman Prof Peter Lees added: “The committee is satisfied that he is very unlikely to breach the Rules of Racing in the future and does not consider that there is a risk to the future welfare of animals by restoring his name to the register.”
This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (12 April 2012)
