Brass Hat's DQ from World Cup upheld by Dubai racing officials

The Emirates Racing Associates upheld the disqualification of Brass Hat from the March 25 Dubai World Cup on Tuesday after hearing an appeal by the owner and trainer of the colt.

The disqualification will cost the colt's owner, Fred Bradley, the $1.2 million second-place share of the World Cup's $6 million purse. Stewards at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, where the World Cup was run, disqualified Brass Hat after the colt tested positive for a banned corticosteroid following the race.

Brass Hat's trainer, William "Buff" Bradley - the son of Fred Bradley - argued in his appeal that he administered a potent anti-inflammatory drug, methyl prednisolone acetate, 28 days prior to the race, five days outside of a guideline contained in a document distributed by a representative of the World Cup. Buff Bradley said on Tuesday that he never would have had his veterinarian inject the drug if it were not listed on the document.

"We're really disappointed, obviously, and I think that anyone who is considering going over there to race needs to take a real close look at everything," Bradley said on Tuesday after being informed of the ruling.

Bradley said that the Emirates Racing Associates argued during the Monday hearing that the document was not endorsed by the association, as Bradley believed.

Emirates Racing Associates conducts racing at Nad Al Sheba under a zero-tolerance drug policy. The document cited by Bradley's legal team states that "in Dubai, there are no tolerance levels, only negative or positive," in reference to test results.

The appeals hearing was conducted via conference calls between Brass Hat's legal team in Frankfort, Ky., and the Emirates officials in Dubai. The hearing lasted two hours on Monday, and Emirates Racing Associates handed down the ruling on Tuesday morning.

Bradley said the officials from Dubai said that no further appeals of the ruling could be considered.